Clara Kent  Superwoman
by Voldivoice
Summary: The El's had a daughter, Kala-El, not a son. This drastically changes the Smallville Universe. How will people react to a female savior? How will Lex react to being rescued on the bridge by a raven haired beauty? Intended Clex but may change. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Superman, if I did Lana Lang would never exist, ever, she nearly ruined Smallvilee!**

**Author's Note: Hope you like female Clark, Clara isn't all that different personality-wise, but tell me what you think!**

**Premise: The El's had a daughter, Cala El, rather than Cal El. She is sent to earth and her gender drastically changes the universe. How will Lex react to being rescued by a raven haired beauty? **

**For the sake of the story we arrive in Clara's senior year, she's about to turn 18 and the meteor freaks have not started mounting up yet. Chloe is the only person apart from her parents who knows her secret due to Clara saving her life from a mugger in Metropolis. Lex has only just been banished to Smallville to run the plant. **

...

_Clara Kent was flying over the golden fields of Smallville, weightless and powerful she glided and gazed. Past the farm she called home, the red barn standing out against the twilight. Over the pastures for grazing, the scarecrows and barns and finally into the neighbouring farm, that of Lucas Lang. Lucas was muscled yet slender, beautiful laying against his blue bed spread. She hovered above him, watching him breathe, the covers tantalisingly shaped around his form. Suddenly he opened his eyes and stared right at her and stated firmly: _

"_It's all your fault Clara"_

_He closed his eyes and in her shock she fell. _

She woke up above her own bed, the alarm blazing and then landed gracelessly on the it, causing it to collapse.

Her mother called from downstairs:

"Hurry up Clara, you'll be late for school!"

Alright, thought Clara, the hovering is new.

Hurriedly dressing in some jeans and a plaid shirt she paused to look at herself in the mirror and ran her fingers through her long black curls to give them some form of order.

Upon arriving downstairs she saw her father at the kitchen table wearing an almost identical outfit and it caused her lip to quirk, she really was a daddy's girl. Her mother was firing instructions at them about their time alone this weekend, demanding they not eat pizza as there was food in the fridge. Clara grabbed the milk carton and took a swig, enjoying the cool liquid on her tongue.

"Don't drink from the carton, where did you learn your manners?" Her scarlet haired mother admonished her from the other side of the fridge.

Clara smiled brightly at her mother and stated cheerfully: "On a farm!"

Her mother tutted at her and Clara leaned down, (Martha's 5 ft 5 was lower than Clara's 5 ft 11), in order to kiss her on the cheek. Clara has always been tall, taller in fact than her best male friend Pete and a substantial number of the male populous at Smallville High. Perhaps that was part of the reason she liked Lucas so much, he was 6 ft 5, tall enough to see over her. He was the only boy she knew who made her feel delicate; growing up on a farm had made Clara strong in body, well toned and able to take care of herself. Well that and her other...less usual attributes. She was sure Lucas Lang would think twice before looking at her again if he knew she could run faster than a speeding bullet, not that she'd ever tested that metaphor.

Nevermind her powers, any boy would think twice before even going near her, Jonathan Kent was a respected man, a former football star who adored his daughter. He also owned a double barrel shotgun and was a notoriously good shot.

The need for secrecy due to her abilities was paramount, no one but her closest friend, Chloe, knew about her abilities. That was not entirely intentional on Clara's part, on a trip to Metropolis to look at the University they had gotten lost and accosted by a mugger in a shady part of town. When Chloe refused to hand over her purse he lunged at her with a knife, only to be prevented by Clara. The knife did not penetrate her skin and she disarmed and knocked him out in seconds. Chloe wasn't stupid and Clara could not deny her bestfriend anymore. It was in their freshman year upon returning to Smallville that Chloe had shown her the wall of weird, all minor mutations created by the green meteor rock, the very same that made her ill.

The moment Clara had seen the young tear stained face of Lucas Lang she knew she could never attempt to pursue any form of contact with him, she was the reason he was an orphan. It didn't stop her from liking him, the forbidden was always sweeter for a teenage girl, but it created a boundary she refused to cross. Clara left Lucas alone. If that wasn't enough reason Lucas's ring, that contained a shard of the meteor that killed his parents, acted as a repellent for her. In some ways she thanked it for giving her an excuse other than morality to stay away.

Clara knew she was an alien; her parents had sat her down to explain it to her. It had been precipitated by the absence of her period, she had been 14, in health class every other girl had already had it. She'd gone home in tears, terrified there was something wrong with her, that she was a freak. Her mother had taken her aside into her arms and told her she was the most special girl in the world. They didn't know much about her people, where they were from, what they were called, if they even still existed. They didn't even know how they procreated, although Clara looked human and had very similar anatomy the absence of a period indicated some biological difference. Clara had never been sick, so had never visited a Doctor, it would be too dangerous.

If the wrong people found out her secret they would take her away.

She was distracted by the sound of an engine revving and a horn honking, the school bus was here; they knew of her chronic lateness and on the request of her mother the driver now alerted her to their presence every morning. She grabbed her pack, kissed her parents and got on the bus, seeing Chloe and sitting next to her.

The first day of her final year at Smallville High.

What could possibly happen?

...

Chloe was in an uproar about the football scarecrow practice. Her interest had been sparked by the mysterious deaths of several former school jocks, all in their 30's now. She was planning a big exposé for The Torch and Clara as one of her star (and only) reporter was researching past instances. The jocks thought it was a great laugh to tie up a freshman guy on the first day of the semester, it was almost a form of pagan right, to welcome in a good year. Clara thought it was completely stupid macho dogma. It was almost as cultish as the cheerleaders, all worshiping their Queen Whitney, Lucas Lang's girlfriend. Openly athletic, blond, attractive, popular, she was the American Beauty. She was fairly smart too, the Queen of the debate club as well as head cheerleader. She was a fitting companion for the star quarterback of the Smallville Crows.

In her younger days Clara had wanted to try out for the cheerleading squad, even made it through, but the direct animosity of Whitney had caused her to lose her temper and she had almost revealed her true strength, throwing another girl a bit too far. She'd stuck to academia after that and working with Chloe gave her a good resume for College as well as knowing the ins and outs of Smallville. If you were the one reporting no one was reporting on you!

Clicking through DailyPlanetOnline, she spotted what she was looking for. Former comatose Scarecrow Jeremy had disappeared from a Metropolis Special Care unit after a lightning storm. That sounded suitably weird for Chloe.

Clicking off the site she pushed away from the desk and headed out to lunch, telling Chloe that she would be back in a little while.

The first day was always slow classes-wise, mostly inductions. The great thing about senior year was they got an extra-long lunch period, almost two hours depending on your class load. When she said two hours, one was meant to be used for studying, that didn't happen and it wasn't enforced.

Unfortunately she bumped into Lucas at the front door which as usual nearly paralysed her, her spill was witnessed by him and Whitney. Whitney did not look happy. Lucas helped her up, which in a way made it worse, and after parting and going on their way Clara had the feeling that that encounter wasn't over for her and Whitney.

Whitney had always been suspicious of Clara, especially when it came to Lucas.

Clara grabbed some pizza and fries and a coke, her metabolism was so high that she'd burn it off in a few hours.

The rest of the day was more inductions, stern lectures about college applications and "the future" as well as the importance of the S.A.T.'s. Clara's quirks gave her an almost photographic memory, she didn't need to study much, but she liked to meet up with Pete and Chloe to do so.

Pete had been conspicuous in his absence for most of the day, Clara had the feeling his parents may be fighting again. Pete always felt the need to act as referee. Pete's Dad's job was on the line, and his mother had been offered a promotion in Metropolis, but it meant leaving Smallville, the town where Pete's Dad had been born. He'd arrive for morning (registration and homeroom), then left after his Mum called his cellphone.

Clara couldn't imagine her parents splitting up; the thought just couldn't be processed. Jonathan Kent the country boy and Martha the daughter of a big-city lawyer, their romance was novel worthy.

Clara resolved to walk to Pete's after school, taking the scenic route via the bridge, she liked to look at the water as it went by, it was relaxing. She found it was a good place to think.

...

The bridge was deserted as usual, not many people travelled into Smallville this late in the day. Clara leaned against the railing and looked at the light reflecting off of the rippling water. The tinkling sound of it was soothing, rhythmic and almost musical to Clara's sensitive ears. In the distance she could hear a approaching vehicle, some sort of heavy duty truck. As predicted it sped past her, then there was the sound of another, smaller this time, a revving engine, maybe a sports car. This area was good for experimenting with her hearing, learning to identify the size and distance of certain vehicles, her hearing had been increasing lately and she needed to practice.

The car was definitely going above the speed limit; she turned to see it was an expensive sports model. Who around here would have a car like that? Then she spotted a hazard, the roar of the truck had covered the sound of a falling pipe, it was blocking the road, the sports car was heading right for it! Clara ran slightly above normal speed to get out of the way as she couldn't prevent the car swerving and going through the railing and into the water. If she hadn't been using her hearing she would have been hit by the car.

She shucked her backpack and jumped in after it, studying the scene as a bald man in his twenties lay unconscious in the seat, water was filling up the car at speed. Ripping the metal would be overkill, the windshield was partially shattered, one push from her and it was gone and she undid his seat belt and using the car as leverage pushed them to the surface.

The man wasn't breathing when she got him to shore, she started compressions like they said in health class and then tilted his head back and breathed air into him. This was the first time her lips had ever touched a man's, and even though she was frantically giving him CPR the female in her noticed how soft they were. After a minutes work his body shook and water expelled from his mouth, he opened his eyes blearily.

His eyes were blue, deep blue, with thick lashes that were pale, perhaps light brown or strawberry blond.

Lex Luthor stared up at his angel of mercy, an unlikely but beautiful rescuer. Pale white skin was contrasted with wild curly black hair, her eyes were deep blue surrounded by thick lashes and her lips were rosy and plump. This vision of loveliness was dressed in a lumberjack shirt and jeans.

He wasn't religious, but if this was hell he liked it.

"Are you alright?" the angel asked.

Even her voice was lovely.

"What happened?" he asked slowly, his tongue felt numb.

"Your car went off the bridge; you skidded when you saw some debris on the road. I saw you go in and dived in to get you out. Can you move?"

Lex sat up cautiously, he had full use of his faculties and after a personal examination he realised there wasn't a scratch on him.

"I'm good, thanks to you. Can I know the name of my lovely angel of mercy?"

Clara blushed for what felt the first time in her life, Lex thought it was beautiful.

"I'm Clara, Clara Kent."

She extended her hand to him for a handshake; he took it and as his father had taught him kissed the back.

"Lex, Lex Luthor, and it seems I owe you my life Clara."

"It really wasn't anything" she said hastily, then realised she should probably get some help.

"Stay here" she said rising "I've got to go get my backpack from the bridge, I'll call an ambulance to come check you over, you might have a concussion."

Lex watched her confidently stride up the bank with the gait of someone who was used to physical exertion. Definitely a country girl, maybe even a farmer's daughter. She was back in a flash and soon enough they heard sirens as the emergency response teams arrived.

The ambulance fussed over them and addressed Clara by name, it really was a small town. Soon a red pick-up pulled up and out ran a handsome, tall, older blond man wearing plaid and looking distinctly worried. That had to be Clara's father. He hugged her and checked her over while she insisted she was fine before demanding to know who the maniac was who nearly killed his daughter.

Lex extended his hand from the emergency blanket.

"Lex Luthor, you've got a wonderful daughter there, she saved my life, if there's anything I can do to repay you please let me know."

Jonathan Kent balked at his last name, as people often did, and his demeanour stiffened further. He took off his jacket and put it round his daughter, shielding her wet clinging clothes from view before stating:

"Drive slower"

Jonathan led Clara off and Lex's eyes followed them until they were gone.

Clara Kent, his angel of mercy, his Super Woman.

Perhaps exile in Smallville wouldn't be so bad after all.

Lex turned round as a crane pulled out the car that should have been his tomb, the windscreen was completely mashed in and the front had a suspicious dent in it, they looked oddly liked footprints.

Super Woman indeed.

**Authors Note: Tell me if it's worth pursuing! Please Read and Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Superman of Smallville, if I did then Lex wouldn't have turned Evil and Clark would have fessed up in season 1!**

**Authors Note: Thanks for the reviews, here's another chapter!**

Chapter 2 – Scarecrow.

Clara never did get to Pete's house that day. Upon arriving back at the farm her father gave her a stern talk about "being seen" and simultaneously congratulation her on her heroism. Jonathan Kent had never been prouder and more terrified of his daughter in his life, today they could have lost her and she had once again proved how otherworldly she was. Clara had rescued a Luthor, that came with consequences and Jonathan was not ready to tangle with them again. Lionel Luthor had helped them adopt Clara after they had taken his damaged son to the Hospital. This repayment came at the expense of a dear friend's property. Now Clara was once again in the eye of a Luthor, the very one they had helped to save of meteor day. Jonathan did not expect any less duplicity from the younger model. Blood will out and a Luthor is a Luthor.

Clara's mother had held her for a good 10 minutes before letting go and Martha Kent once again silently thanked the universe for her daughter. On the day of Clara's "arrival" she had been at Nell's flower shop, little Lucas Lang her nephew was fascinated with a small wishing well Nell had put in the front window display. The cute little boy in the wizard outfit had very seriously told her to put in a coin and wish for what she wanted most and it would come true. Martha has smiled at the naivety of youth but the part of her soul that still believed made her take out a dime from her pocket, flick it into the well and wish for a child. The universe works in mysterious ways because that day, after a car accident, the child of their dreams found _them_.

They got a child that never got sick, never hurt physically and had extraordinary abilities. The time would soon come that their little girl would be a woman and would go out into the world. A world that would not understand her differences may even hate and fear her for them. They as parents could only teach her what was right and trust that she would implement it. Today she proved that she had taken those lessons to heart and it had made her a hero. Clara Kent, their little cornfield child, would one day do great things, today was a herald of wonders to come.

Soon their child would be a woman, and a super one at that.

Their little Superwoman.

...

Clara sat in her fortress of solitude that night, staring up at the sky through her telescope. Some nights she would point it at a random quadrant and wonder if that was where she was from, whether there was anyone there who knew her, missed her. Or maybe there was nothing out there and so she had been sent here, perhaps the green rocks were from her own planet. She would probably never know.

Clara thought back to today's incident with Lex, that had been a very close call for him, she hoped he was alright. For a few minutes while she'd given him CPR he'd been dead and she had never been more scared in her life. At the same time, pulling him from the car had given her such a euphoric rush. She was almost guilty by how good it felt, it almost became a selfish act.

But still, it had been the right thing to do and she would do it again, even at the risk of exposing herself.

Clara's Mum called her into the house, she still had school tomorrow. Clara groaned when she realised Chloe would probably want to interview her and Lex about it, to keep up appearances and not draw unwanted attention due to its absence from The Torch.

It would be a long day.

...

As expected, Chloe was abuzz with excitement when Clara entered The Torch before class. The title for the front page read "Torch Reporter Rescues Boy Billionaire from Watery Grave!". No wonder people had stared at her on her way into school, she'd decided to run rather than be ogled on the bus. It sounded a little tabloid to Clara but the short introduction had a large photograph of Lex beside a photo that Chloe herself had taken of Clara during the summer. The contrast of barely smiling bald billionaire and grinning country girl was almost comic.

It was a fairly factual article, the facts had been obtained from the Sheriff and some of the emergency crews, and it cited that tomorrow's edition would feature interviews with Clara Kent and Lex Luthor himself.

"Chloe, when did you get an interview with Lex?"

"So it's "Lex" now is it?" Chloe winked at her and Clara blushed, Chloe knew she didn't like talking about boys.

"Well...I was hoping as my _star_ reporter and the saviour of Mr Luthor's life that _you_ could get me an interview."

Clara didn't feel right about that at all, it felt like exploiting a grateful person, for all she knew Lex hadn't even though of her once.

"I don't know Chloe, It doesn't feel right to me."

"Well, could you ask him anyway, I'm sure he'd be glad to help you out. And if not, then at least you tried! Please, for your best friend? This will look really good on a college résumé!"

Clara couldn't resist Chloe's cheerful hopefulness, so she agreed but stated she's only ask but wouldn't hound him. They did her interview then, establishing the facts and Chloe carefully tailored the questions and edited Clara's answers to make no room for speculation about anything supernatural. Chloe was a very talented reporter, by the end enough truth was blended with fiction for a plausible story. Clara had been on the opposite side of the bridge, Lex had driven off, his windshield smashed on impact with the rail so all Clara had to do was undo his seatbelt and get him to the surface. It was believable. Clara hugged Chloe in thanks and she extracted the true story before class.

Class was like being under a microscope; people who had ignored her since kindergarten were suddenly talking to her on friendly terms and inviting her places. Rescuing billionaires was obviously good for your popularity. Even Lucas came up to ask if she was okay, which earned her a death glare from a sulking Whitney, standing ignored to the side. Clara endured the queasy feeling Lucas's ring gave her, quietly thanking him for his concern before he left. Strangely she did not feel the usual butterflies that accompanied his arrival.

Calculus and Government passed in a blur and as it was Friday they had a half day. Pete was absent again, but Chloe had text him and he'd said he had the flu. Clara didn't believe it but allowed his privacy. Although she had a cellphone of her own it was a very very old pay as you go. No sane father, even with a daughter impervious to physical harm, would let her out without a cellphone. She couldn't afford to use it for anything by emergencies. Such as yesterday. The farm couldn't afford anything newer and Clara had never needed it, especially as if she needed to talk to her parents or Chloe she would just run.

After running home she stopped dead in the driveway, staring at the shining red chevy pick-up truck in the driveway with a huge pink bow on the top. Entering the house she said:

"Whose is the truck?"

Martha Kent handed Clara a card and said "It's yours"

The card read:

_To Clara, _

_Drive safely._

_The maniac in the Porsche. _

"Can I keep it?"

Martha smiled sadly and said "Go talk to your father, he's in the barn"

Jonathan Kent was in the barn stated that Clara couldn't keep the truck. Jonathan stated that she shouldn't take a "prize" for doing the right thing. An argument ensued about being normal and earning things and Clara felt the need to demonstrated her abnormality by shoving her hand in the harvester. Jonathan panicked and grabbed her from it examining the her hand. There wasn't a scratch on it.

"The reason Lex's car didn't hit me was because I heard it coming from miles away. I smashed my hand through his windscreen to get him out. I could have ripped his car roof off if I wanted. Normal, I'd give anything to be normal, but I'm not!"

Jonathan looked at his daughter sadly as she sped out of the barn.

...

Clara headed for the only place Lex could feasibly live, the Luthor mansion. It was an imposing structure, almost castle-like, with stain glass windows and wrought iron gates. Clara jumped over the wall and ran into the house finding it unlocked. She heard loud noises coming from room and followed it until she witnessed two figures in white fencing. The more feminine form performed an impressive counter riposte that caused the other to rage and throw his sword at the door. It imbedded not two centimetres away from Clara. Lex quickly took off his mask and asked:

"Clara? Sorry about that, how did you get in here?"

Clara suddenly felt very shy when she saw a beautiful blond emerge from her mask and shake hands with Lex.

"I...sort of squeezed through the bars, I'm sorry if I interrupted anything."

Lex smiled and took a towel the blond gave him before stating:

"No, I think that Claudia has suffieciently kicked my ass for today."

The blond nodded and wafted past Clara and out the door. Clara had a sudden feeling of physical inferiority, even though she could probably bend "Claudia's" Sabre into a slinky.

"Are you here about the truck? There's no need to thank me it's the least I can do."

Lex motioned Clara to follow him through the imposing study into a side room that contained a model of a battle.

"Actually, about the truck...I can't keep it."

Lex looked round at her now concerned.

"Do you not like it, the colour, we can change it for something else if you'd like. I just thought you weren't a tiffany's girl."

Clara's cheeks reddened at the thought of Lex buying her jewellery.

"No, I like it, it's great! But...my Dad says I can't keep it."

Lex gave her a knowing look as he headed to the model and rubbed the sweat off of his head.

"I'm used to prejudice, bald people often receive unfair treatment."

Clara balked at the idea of someone holding Lex's baldness against him.

"It's not that at all, you look great, I mean you are great" Clara cursed her verbal ineloquence, she wondered when she had become a bumbling fool.

"My Dad doesn't care about that, he's just not too crazy about your Dad."

Lex took on a grim look and his shoulders stiffened.

"He's decided the apple doesn't fall far from the tree?" Lex reached the battle model and turned around.

"What about you Clara, do you fall far from the tree?"

"Well, I was adopted, so I wouldn't really know. I like to think that the people who raised me have left a lasting mark."

Lex turned to the model and Clara approached it too, it was impressive and expensive looking.

"My father taught me to rule, to be uncompromising, to be ruthless."

Clara didn't know what to say to that so tried to change the subject.

"Did he give you this toy?"

Lex smirked a little.

"Yes, on my 11th birthday, it's not a toy, it's a strategy tool, the battle of Thermopile. He wanted me to be prepared to face my enemies on the open field, to strategise against them. Nothing my father gave me was just for fun."

"Maybe he was worried you wouldn't be ready, our parents, they try and protect us, even if what they do may harm us in the long run."

Clara felt strange as the advocate for Lionel Luthor's parenting skills and a little impetuous, but Lex seemed to look a little happier.

She then remembered the interview.

"There...there is one thing you can do to repay me, nothing material, but my friend Chloe is the editor of the school newspaper I work for, The Torch. She asked me to get an interview with you, about the accident and about how you like Smallville after coming from the big city. You don't have to but it would make her really happy if you'd accept to be interviewed by her for the paper."

"Would it make you happy if I did?"

Clara was surprised by this.

"What?"

Lex looked her in the eyes, his were crystal blue and piercing.

"Would it make you happy if I did the interview."

Clara fiddled with a piece of her long curly hair and blushed, she never reacted like such a...girl!

"Well, Chloe would be ecstatic.."

Lex cut her off.

"But it would make _you_ happy?"

Clara answered slowly "Well...yes"

Lex smiled at her.

"Then I'll do it, least I can do for my Angel of Mercy. When should we set it up for?"

"Chloe wanted it in tomorrow's edition; we had a half day today so...If I give you her number you can maybe arrange something tonight. If you're not too busy that is?"

Lex accepted the number and gave her his "In case you need to get hold of me". She reciprocated and Lex looked a little smug for some reason. She was sure he had tonnes of girl's numbers; he couldn't think _that_ way about it, could he?

Lex smiled at her again and she felt a little strange.

"You'd best get home Clara, before your father comes over and shoots me! I'll send someone to pick up the truck tonight."

Before Clara left a thought occurred to her.

"Lex, you don't know town very well, maybe I could give you a tour? It's the weekend and I have chores but there's a farmers market in town I work at. If you wanted to get a supplier for the mansion I'm sure you could get a great deal there. Also...if you wanted someone to hang out with to do something completely devoid of higher meaning, I'm only a number away...i...if you want to."

Lex nodded at her, his smile reached his eyes.

Clara practically ran out the door before she said something stupid.

Captain eloquence. That was her.

Clara decided to walk back home to get some air, she heard a car approaching but didn't mind it, her mind was preoccupied. Suddenly the engine died and out came half of the cheerleading squad. She suddently felt queasy and two of the blonds grabbed her by the arms.

Whitney approached her with a sneer.

"Well isn't this fortuitous girls? Out little heroine all alone near the scarecrow field! Let's say we make a new tradition? Congratulations Kent, you're this year's Cheerscrow!"

Whitney grabbed onto her arm and Clara's knees nearly buckled. She was wearing Lucas's ring, Clara stared at it.

"You like Lucas's ring do you? Well it's as close as you're ever getting to him!"

She forced Lucas's ring onto Clara's hand and she felt like she was going to die, she was dragged into the corn out of sight and her plaid shirt removed to reveal her blue tank top. Whitney took out some bright red lipstick and slavered an "S" onto her shirt before instructing the rest to string her up. They laughed with each other and jeered before leaving her alone.

Clara hung there as the dark approached the life slowly ebbing out of her.

So much for a hero, now she needed rescuing.

...

**Authors Note: Anyone get the Trueblood reference? Lol Please read and review. I'm sorry if the conversation from Smallville isn't 100% accurate on details but I haven't watched it in ages. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own DC**

**Author's Note: I've received some criticism for staying mostly canon so far. This does not mean I intend to mirror every episode, only that I wanted a basis for divergence. Keep in mind that this timeline is set 2 years ahead of the original Smallville. Clara is almost 18 and only just beginning her ascent to heroism, but this doesn't mean that other heroes have been idle. Lex's late arrival to Smallville also has a purpose. Happy New Year everyone and I hope it's a good one. Thanks for reading!**

**...**

It was cold now. The sun had gone down over the golden fields over an hour ago. Clara had watched the pale blue of the sky shift into hazy pink and crimson and dreaded the coming of night. If it were not for her enhanced vision she would have been in complete darkness but the waning moon and winking stars kept their constant watch. Clara tried anything and everything to free herself from her bindings, rubbing her elbows raw, a sensation Clara had never felt before. The ring finger on her right hand was simultaneously burning and freezing, as if a fever and numbness were raging against each other. The war crept up her arm and into her chest, flowing into the rest of her body until she was clammy, shaking and she ached to her very core. The chill of the night air prickled over her skin, intensifying her tremors and simultaneously making movement increasingly uncomfortable.

Over the last hour Clara felt herself weakening, her mind becoming consumed by the overwhelming sensations instigated by Lucas's ring and the meteor within it. The angle at which she hung made her hair obscure her peripheral vision, but she could see the stone pulsated with an effervescent green aura. She had long since given up screaming, and the longer she hung there the less hope she had. Surely her parents had missed her by now? Perhaps called Chloe or gone to interrogate Lex? Or maybe they thought she was out sulking? She had not heard the ring of her phone in the backpack, but there was every possibility her battery had run out, she had a habit of forgetting to charge it as she used it so irregularly. Her bag was to the side of the clearing, dumped there by Whitney's harpies.

It seemed ironic to her that this time yesterday she had saved a man's life by pure luck of being in the right place at the right time. Tonight she had been in the wrong place and by happenstance Whitney had Lucas's ring, she supposed the universe liked to balance these things out.

Clara hoped the universe didn't want a replacement for the life she saved.

The night was full of sounds, crickets in the plants, the wind rustling the corn, the occasional heartbeat of a small animal. There wasn't a human around for miles, no cars on the road and as time went on and she grew weaker, Clara began to despair that anyone would come to help her.

Her limbs lost their tension one by one, and she prayed for someone, anyone to come, her heart was slowing, the feeling receding from her skin, a pressure began on her eyes, urging her to close them.

Clara's vision began to blur at the edges, tunnelling until she could barely see anything. Everything went black.

Clara didn't know how long she was unconscious, she fazed in and out of the waking world. She did not know if she was hallucinating or dreaming when she heard the sonic boom of what could have been a jet. She didn't register the flash of red across the sky. The world was a blur and opened her eyes with extreme difficulty as she felt aftershock of something landing in front of her. Clara stared glassily at the hazy long coated silhouette that landed in front of her. Struggling to stay awake she vaguely saw a tall male figure, with a bald head and glowing red eyes. Clara felt the darkness rushing towards her again, her head fell to the side as the dark stranger moved towards her and removed Lucas's ring, hurling it into the atmosphere as if it was nothing. The figure checked Clara's limp form for a pulse, seemingly reassured of her health, but before he could proceed he was interrupted by the revving of an engine coming up the road. He must not be seen. The figure looked once more on Clara before rising as fast as lightning into the sky, becoming a red blur in the atmosphere.

For Clara her ordeal was over. For the stranger his duty was complete.

The hunter never failed to find his man.

...

Lex had gone to the interview with Chloe, she was a smart and amiable girl, who knew how to ask all the most awkward and probing questions with a smile on her face. If she didn't become a journalist she could make a fortune as a prosecutor. Afterwards as he was making his way out of the high school (Lex had wanted to see where Clara spent her days) he paused to admire the large banner over the entrance heralding the "Smallville Crows". Small towns appeared to have much more school spirit than his had exhibited. But then it had been a private boarding school for silver-spoon brats. Lex opened his car, a brand new black SUV, (he thought he'd try to blend in), when he saw three girls around Clara's age emerging from the direction of what looked like the football field. He would have ignored them completely if he didn't overhear the plainer of the blonds giggle obnoxiously and say:

"...Kent totally got what was coming to her Whit, the look on her face when we tied her up was priceless. She's such a dumbass! I mean, thinking that Lucas would even look at her over you! She's such a lanky loser! We should totally make this Scarecrow thing an annual event for the Cheerleading squad too! Why should the guys get all the fun?"

That had Lex's attention. Kent was Clara's last name, and although he didn't know if she had any relatives her age in town these girls were definitely suspicious. The leader, a conventional blond, seemed to be the leader, and had not noticed Lex in the SUV. The girls' workout clothes and pink complexions indicated they had been at a late night practice. The leader, presumably "Whit", smirked at the other blonds' words but her joy was short lived as the shortest of the three, a brunette with a guilty look, spoke up.

"Whitney...do you think we should go cut Kent down now? ... I mean, it's, like, been a few hours and I'm sure she totally got the message about Lucas. But ... my Dad's friends with hers and if he finds out about this he'll ground me for, like, _ever_!"

"Whitney" stopped and looked at her subordinate who shied back instinctively.

"Kent will stay where she is until _I_ say so! We'll let her hang until the morning; that ought to teach her some respect! We'll cut her down before I go to open up the store for Dad, and if she decides she wants to blab, it's her word against ours. My Dad's one of the most respected guys in town, my Mum is on the town planning committee and the PTA! I'm their little Princess; no one is going to believe that mountain of plaid over me! We've been here all night, _haven't we girls?_"

The other two girls looked at each other before nodding quietly. Seemingly satisfied their leader forged ahead, they trailed behind her submissively. Although he had hated his boarding school, for one of the first times in his life Lex was glad it was boys only. These cheerleaders were a new brand of vicious.

They said they had tied up Clara somewhere, what had the second blond mentioned, a Scarecrow...

A sudden involuntary memory surged its way into Lex's mind. A boy tied to a wooden cross in a corn field, begging him for help, smoking balls of fire streaming across the sky, he ran in haste into the corn, completely lost. An explosion, pain, then a vague memory of being picked up by his father, a horrified and repulsed look upon his face...

Smallville was a small town with lots of traditions, and the cheerleader had hinted it was an annual event, it was probably in the same place. The cross had been near his father's plant, well, _his_ plant now. It was as good a place as any to look, all attempts at calling Clara went to voice mail, her phone must be off.

It was time for a trip down memory lane.

...

The area was unchanged from Lex's 9-year-old recollections. Although more sinister at night in the pitch blackness he made out the silhouette of the factory and stopped the SUV, it was here he had followed the voice of the boy. A part of him was terrified to repeat the process of his grave injury, that day had left him permanently bald, and in pain for a good few weeks. He was lucky he got away with his life.

But if Clara was here, alone and in pain, he had to find her.

It was strange, he had never felt this attached to anyone since Duncan, and that hadn't ended well.

Luthor's don't have friends.

Yet, he wanted to try.

It was as if his feet led him, treading the same ground he had done over 15 years ago. The clearing was as he remembered, desolate and shadowed by the immense mass of corn. There on the cross, limp and lifeless with a grotesque "S" scrawled on her white shirt, was Clara.

"Clara!"

Lex rushed forward and checked her pulse; she was alive. He took out his pocket knife and cut her bindings, grabbing her before she fell and slowly lowering them both to the ground. He examined her arms, they were red raw from struggling, they were already badly bruised. In his experience she'd probably be marked for several weeks. Clara stirred at his touch. Sky blue stared blearily into his own ice blue, at first confused and then finally showing recognition.

"...Lex...?"

"Clara, thank God you're alright, can you sit up?"

In the back of his mind Lex registered the parallel to their situation yesterday, it appealed to his sense of irony.

Clara moved slowly in a laboured way, as if weighed down by something. She appeared to be recovering swiftly, as she stood rather than sat up as he had suggested. She staggered into him slightly and he held her up and she gained her balance. Lex found he felt slightly bereft as she parted from him, he liked holding her a little more than was strictly legal.

"What are you doing out here? How did you find me?"

Lex explained about his overhearing the cheerleaders, and offered to call her father.

"No! Please, I'm embarrassed enough as it is, I just want to forget about all this! It was a stupid prank"

Lex was perturbed by this answer, those girls had assaulted her.

"Clara, even the Romans reserved this kind of thing for special occasions, we need to get you looked at by a Doctor. Those girls need to answer for what they did, it was extremely dangerous! You could have asphyxiated on there!"

"But I didn't and there's no harm done! Please Lex, can we talk about this tomorrow? I just want to go home, I have chores in the morning and it's the farmer's market."

Lex wasn't entirely satisfied with this answer and went to show her the bruises where her arms had been tied. They were gone. There was no trace that any event had occurred, and Clara had regained all her colour and front the way she held herself, all of her strength too.

Lex filed that away for later reference; he'd need to gather more evidence before he asked her about it.

"I'll give you a ride home then, if you insist on not telling your parents then you'll need an excuse for where you've been. I'm sure your friend Chloe will be glad to say you were with her at my interview and I offered to bring you home."

Clara began to protest but then it occurred to her that Lex would begin asking awkward questions if she ran into the corn to go home. Country girl or no country girl it was pitch black and she'd just suffered an ordeal. She finally agreed and Lex offered her his jacket, but she declined as she spotted her plaid shirt dumped next to her bag. Shrugging it on and doing up the buttons she went to pick up her bag but Lex already had it slung on his shoulder, he made no indication he was going to give it to her. It must appeal to his sense of chivalry.

Lex indicated for her to walk first, and stayed close behind her before getting to the SUV, he even opened her door for her.

Getting home, Lex had elected not to come into the house, and allowed her to go on in to explain to her parents. He'd seemed surprised when she hugged him before leaving the car and facing the music inside.

The lie hadn't come easily to her, but she didn't want to make a big deal of this.

That night, lying in bed, she dreamed of Whitney, of Lex, and a mysterious figure with burning red eyes.

In the morning she thought she had dreamed him, never knowing that the figure stood sentinel on the border of the property all night, watching her window, before vanishing out of sight as dawn arrived.

The Man Hunter keeps his promises.

**Author's Note: I hope you liked it! Happy New Year!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own DC or Smallville. If I did Batman would totally have been in it. **

**Author's note: Thank you so much for your kind reviews and I'm so glad my work is inspiring creativity in others. You all inspired me to write more today so here it is! **

Chapter 4

Clara woke up before sunrise, as usual, to get her chores done. In reality she could get everything done in around 3 seconds, but she liked the ritual of feeding the animals, cleaning the stalls, collecting the eggs. It was a slow rhythm, the heartbeat of her life, but she was comfortable here, she knew what to do. Clara would speak to Chloe at the farmer's market about last night; she wasn't looking forward to the explosion, or having to talk Chloe down from reporting Whitney. There was no physical evidence she had been hurt and the only witnesses to the actual event were the other cheerleaders. It would end up as Clara vs Whitney, and Whitney was far better liked.

Clara distracted herself by loading up the truck with the produce, busying herself with whatever her parents told her to do. When her Dad said it was time to go she had the sudden urge to get changed and brush her hair. Lex would be there today. Although she didn't know why it mattered, he'd seen her half drowned and hanging from a cross. She super-sped into the house and pulled on a blue and white chequered blouse her mother had bought her on her last birthday, she'd never worn it. Martha always tried to instil some femininity into Clara's wardrobe; she hadn't been able to get her into a dress since she was 4. Clara was the definition of a Daddy's girl. She left her jeans and work boots but pulled the top part of her hair back with a hair tie, she only ever used it on market day, you had to tie you hair back when serving food. All this took around 5 seconds and she was back at the car, her father looked at her a little strangely before commenting she looked nice and her mother gave her a knowing look.

It was around 7 am when they got to the centre of town to set up, the two scaffold booths were already set up with "Kent Family Farm" written over the top. A few other farmers greeted her and her parents as they set up, including old Mr Gleeson the market manager who was in charge of setting up the tables and monitoring the trade. He has sold the majority share of his dairy farm to his only son Timothy, who was the same age as her Dad. Mr Gleeson was technically retired at 65, but that didn't stop him from being a keen horticulturalist and the nominated market manager. He supplied quite a few of the flowers for Lucas's aunt Nell's store. Clara's mother always bought his Calla Lilies and Red Tulips from Nell. Her mother said the first time she'd taken her into Nell's shop she'd gone around naming all the different flowers. When she'd reached the Calla Lilies Clara had grabbed one and wouldn't let go. Ever since then Clara received a Calla Lily for her birthday. Her parents hadn't known how old she was when they found her, they guessed around 3, so they had given her granddad Hiram's birthday. He'd died 9 years before she came to Smallville. In a month's time Clara would turn "18".

Clara thought it was strange that the anniversary of the meteor shower was the same day she had saved Lex's life. Life was full of strange coincidences. On the drive home from the field Lex had told her how he'd found her, on the same day she had come to Earth Lex had been in Smallville. Her coming had irreparably changed him, she felt horrible she'd caused him pain. But it was different to how she felt about Lucas, Lucas's harm she could never repay; Lex had been stigmatised and alone because of her. She wanted to help him, be there for him. It was all very confusing. She had better focus on her work. Clara put on her change apron and started serving early morning breakfast customers.

Clara spent her time divided between the produce stall and her mother's baking table. Whenever she was on the stall her mother would joke that the boys weren't coming over for the apple pie. Clara didn't believe her for a minute, no one ever gave her special attention at high school. Clara deliberately did not look over the way to Nell's flower stall, Lucas was working as cashier for his aunt and Whitney was hanging around. Clara didn't want to start something else. That reminded her; she wondered what had happened to Lucas's ring? Lex hadn't said anything about it, but it had been gone when he arrived. How had it disappeared? She tried to think, it was very hazy... flash of red...a dark figure...bright red eyes...

She was distracted by Mrs Hatcher asking for a pound of tomatoes and some onions.

The day had been fairly busy; they were definitely going to break more than even today. It was the last breath of summer before the cold set in and so the whole town was out to get their last piece of harvest.

It was around 10am, quite late by farming standards, before Lex arrived. Clara had moved over to help her mother on the baking stall, the lunch rush was just beginning and she was laying out more pie and muffins. Lex looked oddly out of place in the sea of working class plaids and jeans. From what Clara has seen he preferred silks and tailoring, today it was black dress pants and loafers with a purple silk shirt and black suit jacket. Clara thought it suited him very well. She watched him smile amiably at the people around, ignoring the way they stared. A bald man in a suit was a rare sight in Smallville, especially a billionaire one. Lex scanned the stalls with interest seemingly amused by the display. It occurred to Clara that this would seem very red neck compared to the splendour of Metropolis. Lex didn't seem perturbed by it and his roaming eyes finally settled on Clara, his smile seemed to light up his face as he came over. Clara didn't know it, but her smile was just as bright. Her mother definitely noticed.

"Good morning Clara, it's nice to see you again, and this must be your mother?"

Lex smiled at Martha who smiled back and took off her serving glove to shake hands.

"Martha, it's nice to finally meet you, I've heard a lot about you from Clara."

Clara felt herself shrink to 5 inches tall.

Lex smirked.

"Really? Well I have a lot to say about her too, she did save my life. I'd like to congratulate you on having such a wonderful daughter."

"Well thank you, we're very proud of her."

Martha looked across at Jonathan who was becoming mobbed by elderly patrons. She turned to Clara and said "Honey, can you hold down the fort here for a second? Your father needs me."

Next door at the vegetable stall it was becoming fairly busy, but Clara had an inkling her mother was giving her time to talk alone with Lex. She didn't know how to respond to that. Once she was gone Lex came slightly closer to the table.

"Your mother seems like a lovely woman."

"She's the best anyone could ask for."

"So, all this is Kent family produce?"

"Yup, I come from a long line of farmer's. Before they died my Grandfather Hiram ran the vegetable stall and my Nanna Jessica the baking stall. They passed it onto my Dad and he kept the tradition. It's a small town joke that "There's always a Kent in the kiosk""

"All this looks delicious; did you bake any of these?"

Clara felt the urge to blush. Why was she acting like a 15-year-old?

"Just the apple pies, I can't be trusted with the muffins. My Mum says too many go missing."

Lex laughed at that and it seemed to make the ice in his eyes melt.

"Thanks, by the way, for last night. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't found me."

Lex looked her dead in the eye and said:

"I'll always be there when you need me. You're my angel of mercy aren't you? I can't have you disappearing on me, what if I need rescuing again? There's a real shortage of Billionaire rescuing farmer's daughter's you know!"

Now that made Clara laugh.

An obnoxious laugh drowned out her own. It came from across the way and Lex turned to see Whitney practically hanging off of Lucas while his aunt was on a coffee break. Lex saw Clara avert her eyes and said nonchalantly:

"That's Lucas then? The one she practically crucified you for? He's alright if you like that corn-fed football star look. So ...do you? Like that look?"

Clara was startled by Lex's frankness.

"Well...when I was younger I _did _yes. Everyone had a crush on him, but I grew out of it. He's a nice guy, but just not _my_ guy. Whitney doesn't seem to think so though, she won't believe that I'm not trying to steal Lucas. That's why she took me last night, because he was nice to me."

Lex seemed heartened by her answer and appreciative of her honesty. Clara didn't know why she felt comfortable telling him this.

"You know, people who lash out are often the most insecure of all. You'll probably find she's jealous of you. In my experience the nasty ones are more afraid that the one they want will leave them than that someone will take them. She knows your better than her in every way, that you could have him if you wanted, and she can't stand it."

Clara was puzzled by this answer.

"How am I better? She's beautiful, athletic, popular, a cheerleader whose parents are wealthy and well respected in town. Even if I wanted to I could never measure up to her."

Lex shook his head sadly and said:

"You don't see yourself clearly. Everything she does it to draw attention to herself, she's got the flashy looks, the makeup, the clothes, the friends. I've seen a thousand girls like her before. In the end, it's all to cover up something that's missing on the inside. But you, you don't need to show off, you know who you are, you have people that genuinely love you, your parents and your friend Chloe. You jumped into the water to get me without a thought for your own safety; you could have asked for a reward but you didn't. You could have demanded Whitney and her cronies be arrested for what they did to you, but you let them go. You're more beautiful than she will ever be, inside and out."

Clara was struck dumb, but luckily her mother came back over and Lex changed the subject.

"Mrs Kent, I think I'll have some of that delicious looking apple pie in a little while. But first, if you wouldn't mind, could you spare Clara for a while to show a poor townie around? I don't want to get hustled by wily farmers."

Martha smiled and said.

"Call me Martha. Clara Lily, why don't you take you half hour for lunch, before the big rush comes in, your father and I can hold the fort for now."

Clara nodded and took off her work apron with the change pockets, handing it to her mother before moving off from the booth. She went to walk beside Lex and started introducing him to the other store vendors. They seemed far less nervous seeing Clara with Lex and far more amenable to give decent quotes for goods. After every stalk Lex would ask Clara's advice and ask for if it was produce her father sold, Lex would ask her to quote the Kent prices. After the food stalls they move onto the horticulture and crafts. They purposefully avoided the stall Lucas was on, and went to look at Mrs Bryson's and Mrs Bernard's. Clara stopped to look at the Calla Lillies, and Lex remembered something Martha Kent had said.

"Clara, why did your mother call you "Clara Lily"?"

"Oh, it's a silly story really. A few weeks after they adopted me my parents took me into Nell, Lucas's aunts, flower shop. From what my mother says I saw a Calla Lily and wouldn't let go. Now my Mum gets me a Calla Lily for my birthday each year."

Lex looked interested by this story.

"When is that, your birthday?"

"A couple of weeks, on October 11th, I'll be 18, what about you?"

"Oh I'm already 18"

Clara smirked and very carefully smacked Lex on the arm. He seemed slightly shocked by the jovial contact and at first Clara thought she'd gone too far but he smiled brightly at her and continued.

"I'm a summer baby, June 21th, the summer solstice. Don't ask my age, I'm an old man! It's fitting that a Luthor was born on the day that heralded the coming of darkness and winter."

Clara couldn't let that stand.

"Or, it's fitting that you were born on the day with the most light. I don't care what anyone says about your father, you've been nothing but generous and caring to me. Our blood parents aren't all we are, I don't even know who mine are, they're a part of me, but if I saw them I wouldn't know them. Our parents are the people who loved us, who were there for us when it mattered."

Lex took in what she said and they made their way into the craft section. There were Kawatche Native American wood carvings and paintings on sale as well as some jewellery. Clara examined some of the silver symbols for sale and one in particular caught her eye. It was behind the counter away from the rest of the jewellery. It was a circular piece of metal which had a diamond outline and the letter "S" engraved into it. It didn't look like any Native American writing she'd ever seen. Kyla Willowbrook and her grandmother were behind the counter, she'd played with her a few times as children. She asked Kyla about it and she said it was a symbol that was engraved in the sacred Kawatche caves that she and her father were studying. Kyla's grandmother looked up from where she was pricing items and stared at Clara and then at the symbol before saying something hurriedly in Kawatche, picking up the necklace and handing it to her insistently. Clara didn't know what to make of it and asked Kim.

"My grandmother says to give you this necklace; she says it belongs to you."

"Oh Kyla I don't have the money for it, thank you though, it is beautiful."

She tried giving it back but the old lady spoke more frantically, moving it back towards her.

Kyla spoke again, seemingly puzzled.

"Grandmother says it was meant for you, it is a gift, she wouldn't sell it to anyone else."

"Let me at least give you something for it."

"Grandmother says it would be an insult for you to pay for something that belongs to you. She says it is yours."

Clara didn't feel entirely comfortable with it, but she thanked them both, reaching out to take old mother Willowbrook's hand. The old lady took it, closed her eyes and nodded her head and said one word: "Naman". Grandmother Willowbrook looked at Clara until she slipped the necklace on and it lay comfortably on her chest, clearly visible. It felt strangely warm to Clara, as if it hadn't just come off of a display but had been on her for hours. It did feel like it belonged there. She thanked them both and told them to come get a slice of pie later if they wanted and she and Lex moved on. Clara didn't see the hard look Grandmother Willowbrook was giving Lex.

Lex had watched the exchange with interest but didn't interfere. Seeing that Clara was just as puzzled as he was he had moved them swiftly on, but not before taking Kyla's business card. They moved away from the stall towards pottery crafts and Clara looked at the sun, seeing it was nearly overhead, and she had probably exceeded her half hour for lunch. She told Lex she had to go back to work and hugged him quickly, to some astonished looks from passersby, before hurriedly weaving through the crowd. Lex watched her go half shocked and amused before moving on. He'd seen many interesting things and gotten much needed information.

The Kent's would be getting a sizeable produce order tomorrow, and it would be a permanent contract.

He did not see the bald, long coated figure watching him. Nor did anyone else.

The Man Hunter keeps his promises, and he watches for danger.

From what he had seen on this planet, Luthor's were dangerous.

It would soon be time to speak with Cala-El.

**Authors Note: Thanks for reading! Please Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own DC or Smallville. **

**Author's Note: Thanks for all your reviews; my muse seems to be active with this one!**

Chapter 5

The Kent's had been surprised on Sunday morning to receive a large order for produce to be sent up to the Luthor Mansion on a weekly basis. None so much as Clara, who had thought she was finding Lex a supplier at the market by introducing him to the store vendors. The regular order would definitely help them out financially; it had been a slow year. They had lost some of their regular customers when the organic green grocers in town had closed. Times had been hard in Smallville, many of the younger people and businesses couldn't compete with massive supply chains and so were forced to close. Organic foods were more expensive and so her Mrs Whittacker could not compete with the alternative and was forced to close after nearly 20 years of trading.

A contract like this was crucial to the continued success of the farm, they'd seen many of their friends flounder in the last year.

Martha had seemed optimistic about this turn of events, Jonathan was not. Everything the Luthor's did had a price. What would Lex Luthor want in return for this contract? Jonathan Kent had a suspicious feeling it had something to do with his daughter. However, he had to put aside his pride; the farm may fail without this extra income. He would accept the order, but remain cautious.

A Luthor's generosity was like a Trojan horse, but one that was slighted was as dangerous as a cobra.

It was time to tell Clara about the circumstances of her "legal" adoption. She needed to be warned.

...

Clara has been shocked but exceedingly pleased that Lex had given them the contract. It would give them steady income through the slow winter months. She had watched her parents struggle over the past two years to make ends meet, this was a good sign.

Yet, her father had not looked pleased, he had taken her mother aside to talk, Clara resisted the urge to listen in. Sometimes her father forgot her differences.

They'd come back and said they would accept the contract but that Clara needed to know something before they did. It was about Lionel Luthor and Lex himself.

After they had sat down in the living room, her parents on the couch holding hands and Clara on the easy chair opposite, her father began.

"Clara, the day we found you was complete chaos, we'd swerved and rolled in the truck after nearly being hit by a meteor. We were upside down when we found you, or as your mother says, you found us."

Her parents looked at each other fondly.

"We were near the Williams' property, they lent us their truck to get you home, and we loaded your ship into the back under a tarp. We were on the road home before we were stopped by a man running onto the road. He was frantic, yelling his son was hurt. The poor child had half of his hair blown clean off, he was slipping in and out of consciousness on the side of the road on a corn patch. Your mother wrapped the boy in a blanket and we told his father we'd drive them to the hospital."

Clara had a sudden vision of being held by her mother in a moving truck, a man with a goatee and long hair holding a boy with some red hair on his mostly bald head. He opened his blue eyes and looked at her in confusion. She reached out her small hand and stroked his pained face, he closed his eyes again.

"When we got to the hospital, he gave us his business card, and said if we ever needed anything to call."

Jonathan Kent looked Clara in the eye.

"That man was Lionel Luthor, the boy was Lex."

Clara was stunned. She hadn't just been the cause of Lex's harm; she'd actually met him on the day of the meteor shower.

Jonathan continued:

"We took you home that day, it was the happiest day of our lives. But suddenly we had this new wonderful person and we needed something to tell people. Our decision was sealed with Sheriff Ethan Miller came knocking to check on us the day after the meteor shower. We told him we'd adopted you and thanks to some quick thinking from your mother you got your name, "Clara".

Martha smiled and finished for Jonathan.

"You know my maiden name was Clark, and that day I'd bought some Red Tulips and Calla Lilies from Nell, in a moment of panic the two things just associated and I came up with "Clara"."

They smiled at her and then each other, squeezing their hands for comfort.

Her father continued on:

"But we now had a problem, we'd decided to keep you but we had no paperwork, no way of proving you belonged to us. Anyone could come and take you from us, we were terrified the authorities would find out what you were and we'd never see you again. So in my naivety I called in the favour, I asked _Lionel Luthor_ for help."

Her father looked angry, the hand not clutching his mothers clenched.

"Luthor was all smiles, he did everything. Started an adoption agency, handled all the papers, Metropolis United Charities, he called it. It was all legal and above board and we were so grateful. You belonged to us legally. He said it was the least he could do for us saving Lex's life. I was naive to think that would be the end of it."

Clara didn't think this story would end happily.

"Lionel Luthor came to me a few weeks later, asked if everything was alright with you. I was so grateful, I _thanked_ him, and I shook his hand. Your mother was so happy; she'd taken you into town to show you off. But he wasn't just there to check up on you. He wanted something. Your friend Pete's father and uncle had a creamed corn factory, Luthor wanted it, and he subtly hinted that if I didn't get them to sell it then he'd get you taken away. I'm the reason Luthor got a foothold in this community, the plant your _friend_ Lex now owns should rightfully belong to the Ross's. I convinced them it was a good deal and it ruined them. All this was because I trusted a Luthor."

Clara let what he said sink in. All her friend Pete's family troubles had stemmed to his father losing the plant and not being able to get another permanent job. She'd heard from him this morning, he was moving away. His mother was District Judge for Smallville and had been offered a position in Metropolis; the money was too good to pass up. It was an immediate start, they wouldn't even be able to say goodbye. Pete had known for a few weeks but didn't want to have to face her or Chloe. He'd said they'd Skype all the time, but Pete had been distancing himself for a while. He'd sensed that she and Chloe were privy to something he didn't know about and it had irked him. But Clara has known with the strain his life put on him he didn't need the extra burden of her secret. All of this had stemmed from financial trouble that she in part was responsible for.

"Dad, none of this was Lex's fault, it was his father's. He was just a little boy when all this happened. Just because his father is bad doesn't mean Lex will be, he's been nothing but good to us."

"Clara, you're almost 18, I can't control who you spend your time with, but I'm warning you that boy is dangerous. What would happen if he found out what you are? He'd have a hold on us we'd never shirk off. He'd use you just like his father used me."

Clara shook her head vehemently.

"He's not like that, he's my friend. I know you can't see it yet but he's a good person. Once you get to know him, you'll see I'm right."

Jonathan got up and put his hand on her shoulder.

"For your sake Clara, I hope you are right, but be prepared for the worst."

Jonathan went to complete his chores, Martha stayed behind.

"He's your father Clara-Lily, he's going to worry. Even if Lex isn't like his father he's still a man, an older man, and you're just turning 18. He's far more worldly than you are and your father's worried you'll be taken advantage of. But, you're almost a woman now; pretty soon you'll be going to college. He just wants to prepare you for the worst."

Clara couldn't have blushed more if she tried. Her parents thought she and Lex were _interested_ in one another.

"_Mum_! Lex and I have only just met each other, we want to try and be friends. I don't think he has many and he's in a new place. It's too early to think about anything else."

Martha nodded at her daughter, trusting her judgement but not entirely convinced that was all _Lex_ wanted.

"I know I can trust you to make the right decision when it counts Clara-Lily. But if you have any questions or are worried about something you know you can talk to me. We're here for you, whatever happens."

"I'll be fine Mum, besides, if he tries anything I don't like, I can throw him through a wall."

Clara's mother smiled slightly before going over to her and kissing her on the forehead. She needed to start preparing for lunch.

After lunch Clara, against her usual inclinations, supersped all of her chores, she wanted to burn off some excess energy. The Kawatche necklace was warm against her skin and seemed to vibrate and hum in synch with her body. She decided she needed to fill Chloe in on all that had happened so she ran to her house several miles over.

Chloe was, as usual, glued to her laptop editing Monday's edition of the torch. She looked a little forlorn; she'd obviously gotten a call from Pete too. What Clara had to say wasn't going to improve her mood.

Chloe startled when she saw Clara in her peripheral vision before smiling.

"Hey Clara, so you heard about Pete? It's not like him not to at least say goodbye."

"I think maybe he didn't want to see us upset."

That got Chloe's ire up.

"We've all been best friends since we were 9! He owed it to us to at least tell us to our faces! It's his final year of school he shouldn't be moving now! If he'd asked I'm sure we could have worked out a way for him to stay!"

"Maybe that's why he didn't tell us, he didn't want to make a big fuss. Pete's lived here all his life, it's hard enough to say goodbye without all the tears and arguments. I think lately he's been feeling like the third wheel, because he didn't know about...well you know."

Chloe listened but still didn't look satisfied; her reporters mind was ticking away.

"Anyway, Chlo, I didn't just come here to talk to you about Pete. Something happened on Friday I need to tell you about..."

Clara told Chloe about the Whitney, Lex's rescue; Lucas's missing ring and her meteor shower connection to Lex and Pete's Dad.

Chloe listened with patience, her brilliant mind siphoning through the information.

"I'm going to get her! I'm going to tear her bleach blond hair from her skull! You have to report this, it was assault, kidnapping too as she held you against your will! She tied you to a cross in a field Clara!"

"Chloe, please, I don't want to make this worse. In a few months she'll be gone and I'll hardly ever see her again! She wants to go to college out of state anyway, if we're lucky she'll get into LAU and we'll never see her again! Please, just if anyone asks I was at the interview with you and Lex"

"So you're just going to let her get away with it?"

"It's not worth causing a big fuss over it. I'm fine, Lex rescued me and now that Lucas's ring has disappeared she'll never be able to touch me again."

Chloe looked far from satisfied. Clara may want to let this go, but she wouldn't. She was going to do what any decent reporter would do, dig for dirt.

Whitney was bound to have skeletons, everyone does. When she found them she was going to use them. Clara could see Chloe's mind at work, there was no stopping her now. She felt bad for Whitney. Clara didn't have it in her to hold vendettas.

"As for Lex, he seemed very charming in the interview Clara, but looks can be deceiving. You know who his Dad is. I could research into him if you want, see what he's doing in Smallville?"

"Don't do that Chlo, that's like saying I don't trust him from the beginning. I'm already keeping a secret from him, let him have his."

"Anyway, there was something else I wanted to look into with you."

Clara pulled out her necklace and showed it to Chloe.

"One of the Kawatche Indians gave me this; she said it belonged to me. It doesn't look like any Indian writing I've seen but I think I recognise it from somewhere. I can't think where though. It has something to do with the caves, could you look into it when you get a minute? For some reason I feel like it has something to do with where I come from, wherever that is."

Chloe looked happy to help on such a mystery. She took a photograph of the necklace started running it through image recognition software. Clara always thought it was best not to ask how Chloe did all this, just in case some of it wasn't strictly legal. Chloe was a genius with technology.

"This may take a while, it's trolling the internet and archives for matches. Now I remember, there was something else I wanted to talk to you about. Remember the disappearance of that coma patient, Jeremy? Well he turned up again!"

Clara was stunned:

"You mean they found him just walking around?"

"That's the weird thing! They found him back in his hospital bed. How he left or how he got there is a mystery, but he's awake for the first time since the meteor shower. When asked all he said was the "Green Cop" helped him. They think he's a little addled."

Now that was a mystery and a half, a coma patient disappears, some of his former classmates turn up dead, then he ends up awake back in his bed and citing alien intervention? Could it be Clara wasn't the only intergalactic traveller on earth? Or was it a simple coincidence?

Clara spent the rest of the day before dinner with Chloe looking up coma cases and alien abduction stories. It was very farfetched for Chloe's usually exacting story standards but then again a farmer's daughter being an alien was too. In the end they had a page three article for The Torch. On the front page would be Lex's interview. While they had a website where they published daily they also had funding to print papers once a week, so the physical paper was more of a omnibus. It was in the school every Monday, Clara and Chloe always had to get to the school early in order to print, assemble and distribute them. Superspeed definitely helped in that respect.

It got to around 5pm and Clara bid Chloe goodbye, running home.

Neither knew that their internet wanderings were being monitored.

The long coated stranger watched Clara run from Chloe's house from above. He had removed the threat of the boy, Jeremy; Clara would soon have more serious concerns to deal with. A vibration occurred in his pocket and he landed to examine the screen of his phone. Dr Swann was on the move. It was time to meet Calla-El in person; the time to watch was over.

He had promises to keep; Jor-El had made him swear.

Calla-El's time was at hand.

...

Miles away, in a vaulted observatory in Metropolis, Dr Virgil Swann sat in his wheelchair and gazed on a photograph of a circular necklace with a Kryptonian symbol. If his translation was correct, it was the symbol of the house of El. It had originated from Smallville, Kansas, just as he predicted. Although not in frame, it was clear the necklace was being worn. Had the traveller been found? He must question the photographer, Chloe Sullivan.

He had a message for Calla-El.

Veritas.

**Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Superman or Smallville!**

**Author's Note: Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed! It's been pointed out that I've been spelling the feminine version of Kal-El wrong. It's just ever since I was little I imagined it as Cal-El and the habit is hard to shift! But I'll be spelling it "Kala-El" from now on, sorry for any confusion! I'm adding in elements from later seasons so sorry if some people haven't watched all of Smallville and get frustrated and confused. **

**For those of you who don't know, Dr Virgil Swann was a character introduced in season 2 of Smallville played by Christopher Reeve, the most famous Superman of all time. As for Veritas, that was a community of people that included Dr Swann and some others...That's all I'll say for now! **

**If anyone doesn't get a reference from Smallville, this is a really good website to look up: **.com/wiki/Smallville_Wiki

**Chapter 6**

Monday's edition of The Torch was record breaking. All copies distributed through the school were gone before first period, and during lunch Clara and Chloe had to spend time printing more rather than eating due to demand. Who knew an interview with a boy billionaire would cause so much fuss? Luthor's were hot property. Clara had been both amused and horrified to see the photograph of Lex from the front page on several girls lockers, including some artful decorations like hearts. Several guys had been more artistic, putting on moustaches and hair and in one instance horns. Clara contemplated one artful drawing of a goatee before dismissing it, she liked him better clean shaven. Not that he could grow facial hair. Or could he? It would be rude to ask.

Clara tried to imagine Lex with the thick red locks he had in her memory of the meteor shower, it just didn't seem a part of his anymore. Although Clara amused herself with the fact that Lex was a closet red-head. It would have clashed terribly with Lex's preference for shades of purple.

Clara sometimes wondered where she had gotten her blue eyes from, or her black hair? Did she look like her mother or her father? Had they had powers too? Why did they send her away? Were they alive?

She'd always known she was adopted, the whole town did, but she would always be the Kent's daughter. Her mother's Star-baby. Her father's shadow.

But she couldn't help but wonder who she would have been if she'd stayed with her birth parents. That is, if her people weren't born in pods or something.

She didn't even know what to call herself.

For all she knew she was Martian.

Later on Monday, Clara had another confrontation with Whitney, this time about Lucas's ring.

"Kent, Lucas really loves that ring, he gave it to me for luck for the big game, if I've lost it, then he'll never forgive me!"

"If you really cared about Lucas you wouldn't have risked losing it. I don't have it, if you want it, go scour the field. You've made your bed, now lye in it."

Clara had turned her back on a stunned Whitney and walked the other way. No one ever talked back to Whitney.

Clara felt quite empowered after that. It probably wasn't a very gracious thing to do, but it needed to be said.

The rest of the week went fairly quickly, Clara was very busy with her AP classes. Clara was able to speed read and absorb information like a sponge. So far she'd only used it to get through high-school Spanish. She was practically fluent when reading, speaking not so much. There's only so much you can learn from books. Clara had a head for numbers, trigonometry, calculus; it just made sense to her. She and Chloe always passed with flying colours in math. Not that she bragged about it, she didn't like to draw attention to her abilities.

Clara hadn't seen Lex all week, he was busy settling in and taking charge of the Smallville plant. She'd received a few texts about the time for his delivery but not much else. It was understandable though, he was a busy man.

Clara couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.

So, Clara volunteered to do the weekly food delivery on Friday morning with her father. They did several trips a week depending on customers' demands. First: Mr Vasquez, Mrs Hunter, Smallville Food Co and a few others and finally the Luthor Mansion.

They buzzed to be let in the gate by security and were directed to a back door where the kitchens were. The staff said Lex wasn't there; he'd gone to Metropolis to deal with some financial issues for the Plant. Her father looked relieved by Clara couldn't help being a little put out.

Clara's father dropped her at the school from the delivery, they started very early in the morning.

Chloe was all in a tizzy because she'd found a hit on a famous scientists website about the necklace. He had some similar symbols that he was studying and it said he believed they were extra-terrestrial. She'd e-mailed him and he said he would be interested in studying the symbol. His name was Dr Virgil Swann and he was a very famous Astrophysicist and Scientist. Never mind that he was as rich as the Luthor's. She was practically having a nerdgasm about it.

Clara was glad that they may find some answers.

On the way home that night she decided to run, she'd stayed late with Chloe working on an article about the upcoming big game. Chloe was suspicious that the coach wasn't using entirely kosher methods to get results.

She was halfway there when something caught her eye. A blur along the skyline, moving fast and in the same direction as her. Clara broke into a run again, a red-blue blur against the dirt road not stopping until she got to her front porch. The purple-red comet kept coming towards her, she called for her parents who came running out and her father pulled her behind him. The air rippled and a sonic shock occurred as a figure landed before them. They stood stunned as they took in the figure of a tall, handsome African-American in his forties. He wore a knee length, purple leather coat with a green shirt, and Clara spied a red gun holster. Even if he hadn't just flown into their front yard he struck a very imposing figure.

"Greetings Jonathan and Martha Kent, human adoptive parents of Clara Kent. I am John Jones and I come with a message for Clara Kent, formerly Kala-El of the lost planet Krypton."

Martha Kent recovered first; it appeared this man was not an immediate threat and he had information for her daughter.

"Please, come in Mr Jones, would you like some tea?"

"That would be most kind of you Mrs Kent."

They entered the house and Clara and her father led Mr Jones into the living room while Martha made tea.

They sat down as Martha brought in tea and a plate of homemade cookies. Mr Jones stated his appreciation and drank some tea before he began.

"I am sure you have many questions for me Clara Kent, and your parents too. You are the last of your race, the last daughter of the once great civilisation of Krypton. They were famous amongst the galaxy for art, literature, science and justice, a beacon of hope across the stars. The Kryptonian people were heralded for their wisdom and justice, but that could not save your world from the seismic event that destroyed it. A war began amongst your people, between General Zod who wished to control all of Krypton, and the ruling council. Your father, the great scientist Jor-El, opposed his takeover; he was a man of peace. But his brother, Zor-El helped General Zod to destabilise the planets core, creating irreparable damage that led to the destruction of your world.

Your father foresaw your worlds end and had the time to rescue the most precious thing to him, you, Kala-El his only daughter. Time was short so together Jor-El and your mother Lara-El constructed a ship for you and filled it with all the knowledge of their civilisation. They then sent you to a planet with people similar to their own, Earth, in hope that you would be saved. Your ship was sent moments before your planet imploded, shooting you and the debris across the stars. Once on Earth you were found by your chosen parents, the descendents of Hiram Kent, whom your father once met in his youthful travels on earth."

There her father spoke:

"Chosen?"

John Jones nodded: "Jor-El met your grandfather in his youth, Kryptonian adolescents are sent across the stars to experience new cultures. He told me he received great kindness at the hands of Hiram and Jessica Kent in your Earths 1950's. When he knew it was necessary to send his only daughter away he knew the only people he could trust would be the Kent family. Your family was chosen for its loving nature and generosity of spirit. He knew only you could raise a child with great power to understand the importance of love and the protection of the weak."

Jonathan and Martha Kent seemed stunned but looked upon each other and their daughter with love.

John continued.

"I first met Jor-El in my bounty hunting days. I was once known as The Martian Man Hunter, Jor-El helped me capture criminals from across the known 28 galaxies. Once he knew his people's time was at an end he had me promise to watch over you, Kala-El, until you were ready for your destiny. Already the time is at hand; you bear the symbol of your family around your neck. On their own planet with the Kryptonian red sun your people were as the humans are, but under the light of the yellow sun your people attain extraordinary abilities. You have tasted some so far, but it is only the beginning of your potential and the road to your destiny."

"My destiny?" Clara asked.

"Kala-El of Krypton, your father wished for you to be the saviour of humankind, they are a young race but have great potential. But, they need an example to give them hope in these dark times, a symbol to aspire to."

"My birth-father wanted me to be a symbol?"

John nodded: "Already earth has its own heroes, but one day they will need help, a symbol of hope, freedom and justice that only you can provide."

"But what about you, you've got powers too"

"I am a Martian, but my destiny is not to lead, I am the guide along your journey. My first step is to give you this."

John retrieved something from the inside pocket of his coat, it was wrapped in a handkerchief. Opening it he revealed an octagonal disc with some symbols around the edge. He gave it to Clara and it hummed against her skin the same way her necklace did.

"What is it? What does it say?"

"It is the key to your past, a gateway to the final remaining piece of your world. I found it the same day you came to Smallville, it had inadvertently separated from your ship. As for what it says, you can read it."

Clara looked at the symbols but they seemed as foreign as before.

"I can't, it's just symbols."

"Your people's language was given to you in your ship, perhaps you need to be familiarised with it. In this I cannot help you, but I know one who can. Seek Dr Virgil Swann, I understand he has already made contact with your friend Ms Sullivan; he knows more of your people and these symbols than he appears to. But, you need not fear, he is you ally. I do not know where the gateway Jor-El's key opens is, but Dr Swann may help you on this part of your journey. For now I must leave you, Kala-El, but I will be watching."

John stood, taking a cookie with him and handed Clara a card, it read "Lieutenant Homicide Detective John Jones, Metropolis PD".

"You're a cop?"

"Something had to pay for the cookies."

A thought jumped into Clara's head, a green cop...

"Is your form now how all Martian's look?"

John Jones smiled: "Indeed not, while Kryptonian's and Human's share their physical appearance, I in my natural state am a good deal taller and green of complexion. It can be unsettling for those not used to it, so I adopt this form."

"Did you fix Jeremy?"

"The boy was a danger to himself and others; I corrected the imbalance within him caused by exposure to Kryptonite."

"Kryptonite?"

"I believe you call it meteor rock, it can be fatal to Kryptonian's, but massive exposure for humans can cause mutations."

Speaking of ...Kryptonite? Another thought occurred to Clara.

"It was you who saved me in the field on Friday wasn't it? You took Lucas's ring!"

"You were in mortal danger; it was my duty to intervene."

"Thank you" said Clara, "For everything."

John Jones nodded and bade goodbye to the Kent's before leaving the house and flying out of sight.

After a moment Martha spoke up.

"_Clara Jessica Kent_, what did he mean by you being in mortal danger last Friday?"

It seemed tonight wasn't over after all.

**Author's Note: Thanks for reading, Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own DC or Smallville**

**Author's Note: Alright, we found out a lot in the last chapter, it's been commented it was a little rushed, so we're calming it down for now. Now to deal with the aftermath! Jonathan Kent has a few appointments to keep! **

Chapter 7

Clara lay in bed that night mulling over all The Martian Man Hunter had told her. Kala-El, last daughter of Krypton. Jor-El, father, Lara-El, mother. The names were foreign on her tongue. She couldn't seem to properly associate these words with herself or actual people. It was like a fairytale, or a comic book, someone else's story.

She was Clara Jessica Kent, daughter of Jonathan and Martha. Farm girl and High School senior.

Kala-El had been a stranger's daughter. But her birth parents had loved her enough to sacrifice their own lives to save hers. The precious time left on their planet could have been used to save them, to find a way to leave. Instead, they had made plans for her, made sure she would be safe...chosen her new parents...

That in particular must have been devastating, knowing you would never see your child grow up, but choosing the people who would.

Clara and Kala, two different people, yet the same:

Clara Kent, who wanted to finish High-School.

Kala-El, whose father had a plan for her.

Clara Kent, who drank milk out of the carton.

Kala-El, powered by the yellow sun.

Clara Kent, corn fed country girl.

Kala-El, baby in a space ship.

If it weren't for that ship in the storm cellar and her various oddities there would be nothing to connect her to these faceless names.

But it was there, and she could run faster than a speeding bullet, lift a tractor without breaking a sweat, hear a car coming from miles away, float over her bed when dreaming.

Save a drowned man from a wrecked car.

All of this felt really rushed, there was so much information in one place.

Still so many unanswered questions.

Kala-El, Jor-El, Lara-El. The destruction of her planet hadn't just killed a people, it had separated a family. Would Jor and Lara have raised her so differently from Jonathan and Martha? Could she even shorten the names like that? Zor-El, the traitorous uncle, had she had cousins? If they had all lived would there have been siblings, grandparents, friends?

Kala-El was the last of a dead civilisation, lost to the legends of space.

But her parents had wanted her to survive, so Clara would remember her.

Clara Kent, baby in a space ship.

Maybe she should write all this down. Then she could just hand it to Chloe. It'd save time.

She'd get her head around it...In around 5 years.

...

In the end, Clara did write it down. It probably wasn't the safest thing to do, but then again, she could always say she was writing amateur fiction. Her mother had given her a journal the day she found out she was an alien. She'd written down her feelings and then buried it in her trunk in the barn, her "fortress of solitude". When she'd looked at the writing of her 15-year-old self she was compelled to answer the questions she had posed. Her name was Kala-El...

She'd felt better once it was on paper, like it wasn't clogging up her head so much.

Plus, she had other more terrestrial concerns.

In her excitement last night she has unintentionally outed herself. Her parents had made her tell them every detail of that terrible Friday night. Her Dad had gotten really quiet. Clara knew he had been on the football team in school, whether he'd participated in the Scarecrow ritual she didn't know. When you were an 18-year-old jock you thought differently to when you were 45 with a daughter, especially when your daughter was the Scarecrow.

Despite it happening a week ago, and her invulnerability, Martha Kent insisted on looking at Clara's arms and giving her a thorough check-up. If it were possible Clara thought she would have ended up in the hospital for a physical.

Despite her protests, Jonathan Kent was going to speak with Whitney's Dad, George Fordman: Vietnam vet awarded with a Purple Heart and Silver Star and owner of Fordman's Department Store in town. That was sure to be a tense meeting, Jonathan and George didn't see eye to eye, even though they were similar ages.

Clara also had triple the chores she usually did for lying. Jonathan Kent had been particularly chagrined than after the Martian had left, Lex Luthor had been the one to rescue his daughter. Then he had covered for her. Clara wasn't allowed to have contact with Lex for a while; all his deliveries would be done by her parents. Her Dad would be going to speak with him too.

Clara didn't like the idea of that _at all_!

...

Jonathan Kent wasn't one to fight his daughter's battles for her. He'd always encouraged her to face her problems head on, because they wouldn't go away on their own. However, in this case, it was time to intervene. Whitney Fordman had physically assaulted his daughter, and unwittingly almost killed her. Clara's forgiving nature would have let her go unpunished, but sometimes she could see too much good in a person and purposefully ignore the bad. Jonathan believed that was the case with Lex Luthor too. Sometimes, Clara needed to be protected from herself as well as someone else. The first stop was George Fordman, former football, track and lacrosse star, Vietnam Vet, and respected business owner.

Jonathan hadn't spoken with George in person for over a year; the department store didn't call for deliveries. They had never engaged socially. Yet, what he found at the Fordman house was a shadow of the man he once knew.

Jonathan was let in the door by Betty Fordman, he'd known her in High School, she'd been a cheerleader. She had aged well but she looked tired and pale, purple bags under her eyes. Betty had been surprised to see him, but not unhappy, but looked reluctant to allow him to see George. When George came into the living room it was clear why.

The once proud figure of George Fordman was bound to a wheelchair, an oxygen tank and tube hooked into his nose. He was still a big man, but his skin hung from him oddly, as if slightly too big.

His voice was laboured and raspy as he spoke:

"Jonathan Kent, what brings you here? Not here to complain about my prices are you? A man's got to make a living."

George Fordman acted as if nothing was wrong, that he wasn't in a wheelchair. He must have identified the look on Jonathan's face because he blithely addressed the issue by gesturing to the chair and tank.

"What, this thing? Don't worry yourself about it Kent. It's just a little heart problem, men our age tend to get them. I'm not dead yet! So, you didn't say why you're here."

"I'm not here for myself; I'm here for my daughter, Clara. I don't know if you're aware, but a week ago your daughter Whitney and some of her friends tied my daughter to the scarecrow post in Riley Field. Clara was almost seriously injured, she didn't come forward because she didn't want to make a fuss, but you have to address your daughter's behaviour."

"Ah, they're kids Kent, they do stupid things, it was just a prank. I seem to remember you weren't so holier than thou when we tied Tim Blackwell to that same post. The kid was just fine; your girl is too."

"That was years ago, and I've since learned the difference between a prank and a malicious act. The football scarecrow was a tradition, what your daughter did was a targeted malicious act. If you won't address her behaviour, then I'm going to have to get Ethan involved, I don't want to do that, but I will if necessary."

George Fordman didn't look impressed with Jonathan's ultimatum, but nodded in acquiescence.

"I'll have a word with Whitney; tell her to lay off of your girl. A word of advice though Kent, your kid had better toughen up, it's a dog eat dog world. My daughter knows how to survive in it, you better teach yours."

"I taught my daughter to respect other people and to accept responsibility for her own actions. You should do the same. Goodbye Fordman, I'll see myself out."

Jonathan nodded to Betty, who was standing in the hallway, before letting himself out. Children mirrored their parents; Whitney's behaviour was as much George's fault as it was hers. George's illness had to be putting stress on the girl too.

That was one situation that could only end in tragedy; George had more than just a heart problem. He looked close to deaths door.

Losing a parent was always traumatic, but watching one waste away in front of you had to be devastating.

For now, he had another mission. It was time to speak to Lex Luthor about his daughter.

...

The mansion was grand as ever when Jonathan Kent pulled up his old Ford pickup at the front gate. He never understood the need for houses with more rooms than people; it was just an excuse to waste space and fill them with possessions. A house should be filled with family, not with empty rooms and trinkets.

They buzzed him in the gate, the porter recognised him from the Friday delivery, and he parked out front before going in. He must have been a sight, the country man, plaid and boots, in the refined splendour of the Luthor Palace.

The butler took him into the study, a large room with a high vaulted ceiling, a stone fireplace and stained glass windows. By the fireplace were two couches facing each other, and an impressive antique desk stood before the windows. Jonathan couldn't help but admire the craftsmanship.

But the Luthor who was behind the desk was not the one he expected.

The years had not overly changed Lionel Luthor, he still had shoulder length hair, the close cropped beard but they were now speckled with grey. He still had a predilection for designer suits and was examining something intently on what must have been Lex's laptop.

Lionel Luthor looked up when Jonathan came in and look as surprised to see him as Jonathan was.

"Mr...Kent? Was it? Well, it's been over 15 years! What brings you to my humble abode?"

Lionel rose and extended his hand, Jonathan didn't take it. Lionel took it in his stride.

"Actually, I'm here to speak with Lex, is he here?"

"Oh I'm sure he'll be back momentarily? By the way, I hear that I have your daughter to thank for still having a son. You named her Clara I believe? It seems her adoption was a wise investment on my part. How old is she now, 17? 18? I'm sure she's an extraordinary young lady, to jump into a river after a car."

Only Lionel Luthor would think the life of a child was an investment. Jonathan did not like his sudden interest at all.

"She did the right thing, that's what Martha and I raised her to do. If you see Lex, tell him I need to speak with him."

Jonathan turned to leave but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Once again I owe my son's life to your family. If there is anything you need, anything at all, don't hesitate to ask."

Jonathan did not take the offered business card.

"I think I've had enough Luthor _generosity_ for one lifetime."

Jonathan walked out of the mansion leaving Lionel behind; he would have to find Lex another day.

Lionel watched him go. Jonathan Kent was still the same self righteous bumpkin from 15 years ago. His daughter however, Clara Kent, perhaps she warranted further scrutiny.

Moments later, Lex Luthor strode into his study to the unwelcome sight of his father leaning against his desk.

"Father, what are you doing here?"

Lionel gracefully stood and walked towards Lex and extended his arm as if to grip him on the shoulder. Lex stood back. Lionel lowered his arm.

"Can't a Father visit his only son? Especially in light of your _accident_ last week."

Lex gave Lionel a scathing look.

"You've never been concerned before, unless you had to clear up the mess for the all important Luthor image."

Lex strode past his father to his desk and subtly examined it, searching for disturbed items. His laptop was on but showing the screensaver, he would have to find what his Father was scrutinising later.

"We both know you're not here to check on my wellbeing, if so you would have come the day of the accident. What do you really want?"

Lionel didn't answer.

"I had the pleasure of reacquainting myself with Jonathan Kent a few moments ago. It seems he wants to speak with you about something urgent. It's strange, that his daughter would save your life when her father did the same 15 years ago."

That got Lex's attention.

"What are you talking about?"

Lionel looked smug that he had information Lex desired. The Luthor family dynamic was all about control.

"Oh, did I never mention that? Jonathan Kent and his wife Martha were the couple that drove you to the hospital the day of the meteor shower. Very generous people. Their daughter was in the truck with them, a pretty little thing, around 3 at the time if I remember correctly. From what I hear she grew up into a lovely young woman. Strange, that you should meet again in such similar circumstances."

A hazy memory flashed across Lex's mind, burning pain, his scalp was cold, he ached all over. His father was holding his close for the first time in years and they were rocking around. He was sleepy, they were in a car, or a truck, a blond man was driving, next to him a red-headed woman that reminded him of his mother held a little girl in a blanket. She had curly black hair and deep blue eyes; she looked back at him and reached out her hand, touching his face. He was really sleepy...

The memory ended. But it left Lex with more questions and an eerie feeling. Clara and he had met before, she was probably too young to remember and the Kent's, who now gave him groceries, had once saved his life. Then, 15 years later, the little girl in the truck had saved him again.

If that wasn't serendipitous he didn't know what was.

Lionel Luthor was watching his son's facial expressions closely, though he had trained Lex well not to show weakness. He could still read his sons micro-expressions.

"I wonder why Jonathan Kent would need to talk to you? Perhaps about his daughter, Clara is it? She must be a beautiful young lady, bound to turn a few heads."

Lex looked at his Father sharply.

"Perhaps it is your head she has turned, how old is she, 17? That's a little young even for _you_ son."

"The Kent's provide the produce for the mansion, I'm sure Mr Kent was just here about the order."

Lionel looked at Lex knowingly.

"Oh, I'm sure that's all it was. Still, Clara Kent does seem like an extraordinary young woman. I'm sure I'll be taking a keen interest in my son's rescuer."

Lex lurched forward slightly. His father watched him with a satisfied smile. He clapped his hands together and adopted a more business-like manner.

"But first, to business! Let's have a look at the Plants financials hmmmmm?"

Lex went down to business with his father but he wasn't fooled. Lionel Luthor had an unhealthy interest in the Kent family. Why? He didn't know. Lionel had a hold over them, knew something he didn't. The only way to protect Clara and her family was to find out what, and he had an inkling it had to do with the day of the meteor shower, and his rescue by Clara.

He had to know, for Clara's safety.

**Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed it! Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own DC or Smallville.**

**Author's Note: I was shocked and saddened by a review I received for the last chapter. I have sent a polite e-mail to the reviewer in question outlining how wrong it is to assume someone is homophobic simply because they have chosen not to explore a homosexual pairing. That is a Straw Man argument; it would be just as easy to say that DC are homophobic because they didn't make CLEX a pairing in the first place. I've read many good CLEX slash fictions and it does work as a pairing but I chose to write a gender swap because there are so few in the Smallville fandom and I wanted to try something new. I hope that the matter is now settled and we can put this issue behind us. Thank you to everyone who has given encouraging reviews and I hope you enjoy the next instalment. **

Chapter 8

Chloe Sullivan prided herself on being a first rate reporter. She could dig up information the public was not privileged to. Some of which was gained through less than legal means. But then, what was a computer genius worth if they didn't snoop a little?

Through her recent net wanderings she had discovered several peculiar things.

Whitney Fordman's grades had been in steady decline since last semester.

Whitney had been working triple the hours she usually did at her father's store

Whitney had dropped all her extracurricular activities apart from Cheerleading.

Whitney was visiting the school counsellor twice a week.

None of this had been reflected in her behaviour towards the school populace. Or perhaps it had, Chloe knew from experience that disturbances in school were often related to something going on at home.

Chloe dug into the Fordman family.

What she found was not what she expected.

Copious hospital bills, Health insurance receipts and the beginnings of funeral arrangements...

These were all for George Fordman, Whitney's father.

_Amlodopine Besylate_, George Fordman had a heart condition that had become terminal. Whitney's father was going to die within the year, perhaps only in a few months. The cost of his hospital treatment meant that Whitney wouldn't be able to go to college and that they couldn't afford to pay employees to work at the department store. Once Whitney graduated from high school, she'd be trapped at her father's store.

Whitney had always been a bitch, but she didn't deserve this.

Chloe knew what it was to lose a parent, even if her mother had left rather than died. If lashing out was Whitney's coping mechanism, if focusing all of her energy on Lucas, all her hopes, helped her get through it...that was her prerogative. Falling back onto prescribed behaviour as a coping mechanism, it wasn't dissimilar to how she had buried herself in studying after her mother left.

But, just because she understood her, didn't mean she had to like her.

She couldn't take revenge on Clara's behalf. Whitney had kept her father's condition a secret because she didn't want pity, or to be treated differently.

Perhaps, the situation called for a change of tactics. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Helping Whitney may in fact help alleviate some of her burden and therefore her behaviour.

An icon flashed on Chloe's screen, she had e-mail from Dr Swann. Clara had told her about her meeting with the Martian, the not so little green man. Well, she'd started to tell her, then Chloe had gotten impatient asking questions, so Clara handed her a journal with everything written down. Chloe was a speed reader so quickly finished and had a list of questions for Clara about her close encounter. Apparently, Martians like cookies and dress in flamboyant colours. But when she read about Dr Swann's involvement with Kryptonian symbols, she had to e-mail him more directly than before. A lot had changed since they began corresponding, the veil had been dropped. With Clara's permission she proposed a meeting between the three of them, and stated that a certain detective has suggested it.

As expected, Dr Swann had replied enthusiastically and his e-mail suggested a time and date for Chloe and her "friend" (Chloe hadn't revealed Clara's identity) to visit his observatory in Metropolis.

Chloe text Clara the time and date, and asked if her parents would allow her to go. This was a family matter.

...

Clara sat with her parents in the living room, discussing the upcoming visit with Dr Swann. Clara was anxious about this stranger who according to the Martian, knew more about the Kryptonian language than any person alive. He held the key to uncovering more of her past, parts of her culture she had lost. But what did they know about this person other than his recommendation by John Jones, another mysterious figure?

This could be the start of something momentous and life changing, or the biggest mistake she ever made. She'd be revealing her true identity to a stranger, likely a stranger who knew more about it than she did, but it left her and her family open to danger.

"Clara-Lily" her mother said, "Your whole life we've guarded your secret, we've been so worried about revealing you that even my father, your grandfather, couldn't visit you. But you're 18 next week and this is your future, it's up to you to decide what happens now. All we can do is be there for you whatever happens."

Clara sat contemplating while her parents watched.

"I think I'll go see Dr Swann, I can't live my life afraid of discovery. I trusted Chloe, and John Jones trusts Dr Swann, I'm going to have faith in humanity, just like you've always taught me."

She went over and hugged her parents, who reciprocated gladly. Growing up was full of life changing decisions; this was just another step on the journey.

For good or ill the Lily would meet the Swan.

...

It was Martha Kent who dropped her daughter and Chloe to the observatory in Metropolis that Sunday. Jonathan had remained behind to take care of business on the farm. Martha had wanted to be in the city if the meeting with Dr Swann did not go well, but she also had another purpose. Her daughter was growing up and would need her family around her. Soon she'd be going to college, exploring the big city and would need a guiding hand. If Jonathan and she could not be there she wanted her father, Clara's grandfather, William Clark attorney at law, to be at Clara's side. Jonathan and her father had never gotten on, William Clark had wanted his daughter to be a lawyer, she'd been at college to do just that when she met Jonathan. When Jonathan asked for her hand William refused, stating his daughter deserved more than to be a farmer's wife. That had fractured their father/daughter relationship and the animosity between Jonathan and William had never subsided. Her father had tried to reconcile after they adopted Clara, but Clara had trouble controlling her powers when she was small, and the constant disagreements between Jonathan and William had made them cautious to trust him with Clara's secret. Martha had always regretted her father's absence from Clara's life.

Jonathan's news about George Fordman's illness brought home to her how fragile life was, she wanted Clara to have as many family members for support at possible.

It was time to visit her father for the first time in 12 years.

...

Dr Swann's building was gargantuan and art deco, a beacon of Metropolis's historical roots. After her mother dropped them off Clara began to feel the squirming of worms in her gut. She let Chloe take the lead, she was far more confident than her anyway. Clara had tried to be tidy in how she dressed, electing for her newest and smartest pair of flare jeans and a new red blouse her mother had gotten her. The necklace that bore the symbol of the house of El lay on her chest. She'd taken care to brush her hair and polish her work boots too. She didn't know why she wanted to make a good impression, but she did.

Before they entered the building Clara felt someone watching her from across the street. She couldn't tell you how she sensed it, but she knew. Glancing over she saw the figure of John Jones standing stationary amid the flow of pedestrians, they didn't seem to notice him. He gave her an encouraging smile, and then was gone in a blink, disappearing into the mass of Metropolitans.

Clara let the breath she didn't know she was keeping out; the Martian was close if she needed him. It would seem foolish to most to trust someone who you had only met once, but Clara could feel the genuine goodness that emanated from him, and he was the only living connection she had to her father.

Chloe looked at her curiously, as if asking if they should leave. Clara smiled and gestured for Chloe to go inside. The receptionist at the desk was young and blond, but did not smile when she saw Chloe and Clara. She seemed extremely surprised when Chloe told her who they were there to see and rang upstairs to check. She looked thoroughly chagrined when she was told they were meant to be upstairs. She directed them to the elevator and told them to press floor 59. Clara had never ridden in an elevator for so long, she didn't like the confinement, even Chloe looked slightly worried. There was nothing but air beneath them. When they alighted it was to another reception room, with large windows giving a panoramic view of the city. Clara made sure to avoid looking at how high they were, she suffered from vertigo.

Clara was suddenly struck by the irony that a girl who was impervious to harm and floated when she dreamed was afraid of heights. What an odd little alien she was.

Chloe had chattered the whole way to and up the building; it was her way of displacing the awkward silences. Chloe had seen Clara fiddling with her fingers in the elevator and then the reception room; she reached out and took Clara's hand firmly in comfort. Chloe always knew the right thing to do.

Chloe kept hold of her hand (which earned them a strange look from the receptionist) as they were directed to a large pair of double doors, it was another elevator, and it went up one last floor.

The elevator binged and the doors slid open to reveal a large circular room, an observatory with a colossal telescope. There was projection screen on the opposite side of the circumference and short chalkboards, and a large desk. Behind it sat a middle-sized man in a wheelchair. He had square rimmed glasses upon his face in front of ice blue eyes and a well define nose. His face was quite striking, still holding some of the good looks that must have made him stunning in his youth. It was clear that he was paraplegic, but this did not seem to dim the aura of self assuredness and power about him. He smiled at the girls as they came in and seemed to recognise Chloe.

"Hello! I'm sure you've guessed that I am Dr Virgil Swann, and you must be Miss Sullivan, and this is Miss Kent? I read Miss Sullivan's wonderfully written piece on your daring rescue of Luthor the younger a few weeks ago, that was quite a heroic feat."

So, Dr Swann found out who she was without Chloe revealing it, but did he know what she was.

Clara felt bashful and answered truthfully.

"I was just doing the right thing, I'm sure anyone else would do the same."

Dr Swann smiled and gave her a knowing look.

"But perhaps not something anyone else _could_ do."

Dr Swann's eyes flickered to the necklace Clara wore, as if confirming a suspicion.

Clara saw Chloe shift slightly in her peripheral vision.

"So, that is the necklace you spoke of? Indeed it looks like the others I have studied, would you like to see them?"

Chloe chatted enthusiastically with Dr Swann as he wheeled over to the projector, giving vocal commands to the computers as they projected an image of space.

"Ladies, this is an image of a region of space that is many light years from our own. I have always been fascinated with space, the curiosity of the unknown; it is why I chose Astrophysics as one of my many interests. The red glow you see is the wondrous phenomena of a crimson sun, much like our own yellow sun. The green star circling it, is not a star at all, but a planet not unlike our own. It is, or was, the planet Krypton."

Clara stared at that green dot, the source of her creation.

"What is even more curious is that 18 years ago, that green spark disappeared entirely, leaving a void in space. The planet was destroyed by some cataclysmic event, but its remnants flew across the stars, arriving at our own planet in your hometown of Smallville 15 years ago, 3 years after the spark of Krypton went out. But that was not all that arrived on that day. A short time before the planet vanished a message was received by my SWANNSTAR Satellites, a message in a language no one had ever seen. I and some of my companions studied it intently for two years, trying every algorithm but to no avail. The others disbanded and I continued alone until I hit upon a mathematical code so pure it decrypted it. The Kryptonian's must have been a highly intelligent and advanced race, for their language reflected their grasp of mathematics, science and logic. It was a message for a traveller, who was being sent across the stars to earth for their own safety, as their planet was doomed."

The image changed and many unfamiliar symbols and shapes began to run across the projector screen. Yet, Clara recognised one, the symbol of her house, El.

"For years, we searched for the traveller, hoping to fulfil the message, but to no avail. But the traveller was found but the most unlikely and perfect people possible. Clara, the message is for you, read it."

Chloe looked at Clara in encouragement.

"I can't it doesn't mean anything."

Dr Swann smiled sadly.

"I think, perhaps, you need only be reminded."

Dr Swann looked on at the screen and began a verbal translation.

"_This is Kala-El of Krypton, our infant daughter, our last hope. Please protect her and deliver her from evil..."_

Something strange occurred within Clara's brain, where once the symbols and the words had not made sense, they seemed to transform before her until they formed English words, and then sentences. A hidden part of her brain, long unused, began to flood her consciousness and the symbols that had once been strange began to make perfect sense.

Clara's voice interrupted Dr Swann's.

"_We will be with you Kala-El, all the days of your life_."

Clara was astonished by her own pronouncement and Chloe looked upon her in wonder and pride.

Dr Swann smiled and wheeled forward.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Kala-El of the planet Krypton; I have waited to do so for 18 years. I admit in my youth I was apprehensive at the possibility of alien life, I feared that you would have been sent here to subjugate us. But, having met you, seen the evidence of your deeds, and seen the humble way you have been raised, I feel that you could in fact one day be Humanities greatest champion. If that were not enough, our friend the Martian presented himself to me some years ago, after he discovered my search for you, and named himself as your sworn protector. I have found him to be an honest and trustworthy ally and a great resource on the wonders of the galaxy. I am gratified that you have experienced the love that your parents wished for you and the best friendships that humanity has to offer."

He looked at Chloe at that moment.

"I will keep your secret, Kala-El, it shall never leave this room. A new age is coming, when humanity will know they are not alone in the universe. When that time comes and you decide to step into the spotlight, know that I am your friend and will offer any assistance I can. Until then, I wish to give you this."

Dr Swann wheeled over to the desk and Clara followed, upon it was a journal much like her own, he indicated for her to look through it and she saw countless pages of Kryptonian writing and drawings and diagrams."

"The message did not only contain words for you, it contained some of the history of Krypton. All I could decipher I have in this journal, and I gift it to you, Clara, this is your inheritance."

"Thank you Dr Swann, for everything. You've given me a piece of my culture I would never have had otherwise."

"It was yours to begin with; you only needed to find it."

Chloe stood at a respectful distance, letting them have their space.

Dr Swann turned the wheelchair towards Chloe.

"And you, Miss Sullivan, are a very enterprising young woman. Those searching algorithms you used to find references to the El necklace, they were your own design?"

"Yes, I couldn't find an existing algorithm aggressive or accurate enough."

"That was very nice work Miss Sullivan, if you ever want to pursue a career in technologies, I would love for you to come work for me. The future of this planet is dependent on the curiosity and brilliance of minds such as yours, as well as the goodness and loyalty of their hearts."

"Or, if you should ever need my help in a more unofficial capacity, do not hesitate to contact me."

Chloe smiled at his adulation of her technical brilliance. She also looked a little star struck. Not many people got to see the sheer magnitude of her capabilities, especially in a town like Smallville. Or if they did they had no idea what she was doing.

"Now, I believe Mr Jones has given you something to show me?"

Clara removed the octagonal key from her pocket, she now recognised the symbols to mean "hope" "SM" and "Barcode", whatever they meant together she had no idea.

Dr Swann asked her to place it on the scanning pad by his laptop, and verbally commanded it to create a 3-D image. A replica of the key became visible on the projection screen.

"Yes, the shape is familiar to me."

"From where?" Chloe asked excitedly. It seemed the preliminaries were over.

"There are a rather wonderful set of preserved Kawatche Indian caves in Smallville. They have pictograms containing the histories of the people, as well as some curious symbols I think you'll recognise. Computer, open file: Kawatche Caves.

New images flashed to the screen of the interior of a massive cave system.

Clara touched her necklace.

"I know the family who excavate those caves, the Willowbrooks. It was Grandmother Willowbrook who gave me this necklace, she said it was mine."

"Then she was very astute" answered Dr Swann as he pulled up a photograph of a wall that contained depictions of two monsters fighting, the Kryptonian symbols for "destroyer" and "saviour" and a octagonal shaped hole.

"Computer" said Dr Swann, "Shrink Image 1 to the size ratio specifications of grid area G4 and align."

The key image shrunk and moved over the hole depicted in the photograph, they aligned perfectly.

"It would seem, Clara, we've found where your key belongs. The Kawatche caves are the next step on your journey."

Chloe and Clara looked at each other excitedly; there was a new lead to investigate.

"Clara, Chloe, I'm a scientist, I consider curiosity to be a most admirable trait, go seek out the unexplained and continue your journey, it is the only way you can write your own destinies."

Dr Swann gave Chloe some new software, stating she would find it interesting. Clara and Chloe bid goodbye to Dr Swann, Clara kissed him on the cheek for all his help, and they left Swann Tower with the journal, the key, and a new heading.

Dr Swann watched them go with the distinct feeling he had just met the future of Earths heroes. He would speak to the Martian John Jones again, his informants and computer taps had informed him that Lionel Luthor was on the move. Their younger days in the _Veritas _movement, awaiting the coming of the traveller, had never stopped for Lionel, long after the Teagues and the Queen's had abandoned their beliefs. Lionel Luthor wanted the traveller for his own purposes but having met Clara, Dr Swann knew this must be prevented at all costs.

Kala-El was the future hope of Earth and Luthor's were poison.

...

**Author's Note: I hope you liked it and didn't consider it rushed! I thought I'd save Martha's encounter with her father for next time! Please review! I've added a few paraphrased pieces of dialogue from episodes with Dr Swann in for those who can spot them! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own DC, Smallville, the Topeka Trojans or the Kansas State Department of Education. All statistics given are fictional for the purpose of the storyline and do not at all reflect reality. **

**Author's Note: We're going to have a little fun with powers this chapte. It's also a little slower. I've done a little research to get some things accurate, the Topeka Trojans are a real Kansas High School Football team and the Kansas State Department of Education is also real. Whether they implement the policies I cite I have no idea, I just made it up lol **

**Chapter 9**

Martha Kent pulled into the high-rise parking lot of her father's Law offices "Clark" and turned off her engine. If her life had gone differently she would probably have been working on the top floor of that building beside her father, no husband and no child. It was not a life she wanted.

Martha hadn't told her father she was coming; she wanted the option to change her mind without disappointing him, even if it was rude to turn up unannounced. The building was as she remembered it, sturdy and classically designed, with tasteful paintings and a clean orderly atmosphere. Everything a law office should be. She walked up to the desk and stated she'd like to see Mr Clark.

"Mr Clark is a very busy man, whom should I say is asking?"

"His daughter."

That got the receptionists attention, his eyes went wide before he swiftly picked up the phone and dialled for the upstairs offices. Martha was asked up immediately.

William Clark's office was almost identical to how she remembered. Presentation was very important to him, so his walls were mahogany panels, his desk chestnut and finely carved and his chair large and chintz. Success was as much about image as it was work, he used to say. William Clark himself had aged; he was completely silver now, when last she saw him he had been salt and pepper. The lines that indicated his age were firmly engraved on him, but Martha could still plainly recognise the man who had raised her. He stood from the desk and walked round it when she came in.

"Martha, this is a surprise, is something wrong?"

Martha stepped forward and hugged him, he hesitated before reciprocating.

"Nothing is wrong Dad, but I wanted to talk to you about something."

William Clark indicated for Martha to sit on the visitors chair and then sat behind his desk, this is how they'd always talked when she was a child, the office chair was his seat of authority and power.

"Do you need money Martha; you know all you have to do is ask me. That husband of yours is too proud but I know you can see sense, I raised you to do what was necessary."

"No Dad, it's nothing like that. It's about Clara, your granddaughter."

William Clark's face changed from one of concern to pride, although he had not seen his granddaughter since she was 5, Martha had kept him up to date on her life. She wrote him regular letters, (carefully edited on her part) and Clara's report cards, drawings and school photos. Jonathan wasn't aware of this, or if he did know he didn't say anything.

"Yes, I read about her rescue of the Luthor boy a few weeks ago. She's not hurt is she?"

"No Dad, not at all, quite the opposite actually. Clara turns 18 in less than a week, I'm sure you know. I think she would love it if you came to the little party we are throwing for her. She's old enough now to decide if she wants contact with you, and I feel that having a relationship with her grandfather is important. Especially as she'll most likely be going to Metropolis University next year, having someone she can turn to if she needs it in the city would be good for her."

William Clark took in her words. He looked at the photograph on his desk, it showed Clara and Martha smiling together, one of the pictures Martha had sent him by letter.

"It's not that I wouldn't love to attend Little Lady, but I have obligations to clients, and Kent and I have never gotten along. It wouldn't be fair to Clara to spoil her birthday with old skeletons. Although, I'm glad you did come, I have something for Clara; it should make her time at Met U a little easier."

William Clark opened his desk drawer and took out an envelope, handing it to Martha. Martha read what was inside and was stunned.

"This is a trust fund for Clara."

"Yes, I started it when you adopted her, I knew that the...way you had chosen to live would not give you much moveable capital, and that husband of yours is too stubborn to ever let me contribute to raising her financially. The trust fund is payable on Clara's 18th birthday, it should more than cover her college tuition and the price of lodging in Metropolis if she chooses."

"Dad, this is too much!"

"Martha, I have missed out on the majority of Clara's life, I can at least ensure that she is able to have the best chance in the rest of it. You and Jonathan won't owe me anything, and if Clara feels like she does, then I'm sure I can find a job for her in the office. In your letters you said that Clara has an interest in journalism, if she wishes, I could let her sit in on some of my cases during the holidays and around her studies. It would give her an idea of what being a court reporter is like, I can always use someone to take notes. I'm her grandfather Martha, I want to give her the best start in life possible, otherwise, what has all my life's work been for?"

Martha nodded and once again felt the stab of guilt that was reserved for her relationship with her father.

"Clara's almost 18 now, it's her decision. Will you come to the party?"

"I'll have to see my schedule, Martha. I wouldn't make any plans. But, bring Clara by the office, see my receptionist about a time and day, I'd like to discuss the trust fund and work experience with her. It'll be her choice."

William Clark looked at Martha pointedly, as if implying that Jonathan Kent's pride should have nothing to do with Clara's decision.

Martha looked at the clock above the desk; her father had always said you shouldn't watch the time when working, but the client should always know how precious it is.

"I'll do that Dad, I'm sure Clara would love to meet you, in any case. I have to go now; I drove Clara and her friend Chloe into the city today for an appointment. I'm going to meet them for lunch."

They both stood and Martha kissed her father on the cheek.

"I'll see you soon Dad."

"Goodbye Martha. Let's not leave 12 years until the next time."

As Martha left she was heartened by her father's interest in Clara. She was somewhat worried about Jonathan's reaction to the trust fund, or that she had gone to see her father at all. But Martha had a feeling that soon they would need her father. The world was changing and Clara needed as many people around her as possible.

Family was everything.

...

Despite Clara and Chloe's eagerness to explore Clara's Kryptonian origins in the Kawatche caves, terrestrial life intervened. It was a busy week for reporting, the big game was due on Friday against the Topeka Trojans, SAT preparation had begun, and as part of their final year science grade they were being given flour babies. While most High Schools would give out their flour babies to only the juniors, a spate of teenage pregnancies in the state had caused the Kansas State Department of Education to make it mandatory for all High School years. Then voila, flour babies. In an agricultural community, flour was in abundance.

There was an uneven ratio of guys to girls in the AP Science class, so Clara and Chloe volunteered to be a couple. Clara didn't understand why everyone was sniggering and giving them looks. A same sex couple were just as viable parents as mixed gender, but some people are very immature. Whitney grabbed Lucas from the off, but Chloe knew that Lucas would be doing the majority of the care giving, considering Whitney's circumstances, she wondered if Lucas knew. Chloe and Clara had played around with names for their little packet of joy, "Kellivan, Sent, Chlaroe" before settling on "Kevan". Kevan the flour baby would live with them for two weeks. Clara had mixed feelings about the project, she like children and had even helped to look after some of the neighbours but as the last of her race she didn't know if it was even possible to have children. If she was capable, was she even compatible with humans biologically? There were still so many unanswered questions.

One particular incident brought up even more.

The day after she had been given the flour baby, the Health Class Teacher, an older woman who smelled like Lavender called Mrs Ackhart, decided they needed to view the Sex-Ed video again. The curtains were closed, the lights turned off, the projector on, and the video began. Clara had seen it before, and it was sort of awkward watching it in a room with so many other teens. Some of the jocks were sniggering in the back and Clara blocked out their choice comments on whom in class they would like to "do". As the couple on screen kissed Clara's mind was inevitably drawn to her closest experience, the kiss of life she had given to Lex. His lips had been so soft; his drenched shirt had stuck to him, his eyes so blue, then when he had rescued her in Riley field, how hard he had felt against her when he caught her...

Clara began to feel hot, her heart rate sped up, she tingled and then her eyes burned.

The next thing she knew she heard a scream, student stumbled back from their desks and the projector screen was on fire. Chloe was looking at her in astonishment and suspicion.

It seemed that for the foreseeable future Chloe would be looking after Kevan, otherwise he was liable to be baked.

Clara was mortified that she would have to explain to her parents, this was going to be awkward.

...

Chloe and Clara had gone to The Torch room to discuss the "incident" in Health Class. Chloe had been understanding but couldn't help giggling a little. The teacher had put the fire down to equipment malfunction. Smallville's equipment was in definite need of replacement, there were blackboards and projectors that had been in use when Clara's father had attended. But Smallville was a farming town, with very little outside funding.

For once Clara was thankful their school's equipment was woefully inadequate.

Now Clara had a new problem it seemed whenever she got... _anyway_, it caused an explosive reaction. She couldn't be shooting fire out of her eyes every time she found someone attractive.

So, she did the only thing a teenage girl with an embarrassing problem could, she went to her Mum.

After school Clara didn't wait for the bus, she ran home to find her mother in the kitchen cleaning some vegetables. Clara could hear her father in the barn working on the tractor; that was good.

"Clara-Lily, you're home early, did you run?"

Then Martha looked up and saw the awkward look on Clara's face.

"Sweetie? What's wrong? What's happened?"

Martha sat her daughter down with a cookie and glass of milk and heard her out.

"Oh, Clara, feelings like that are perfectly natural."

"Yes Mum, but usually the combustion is metaphorical!"

"Clara...I'm assuming that you were thinking about someone in particular?"

Clara blushed bright red.

"You don't need to say anything sweetie, but we do need to handle this. Let me go get your father."

Clara grabbed her mother's arm.

"_Please_ don't tell Dad, it's embarrassing enough as it is!"

"Clara-Lily, he's your father, he has to know. He may even be able to help a little."

Clara had no idea what she meant until an hour later when her mother called her outside to the sight of a straw scarecrow surrounded on either side by bales of hay. The Scarecrow had an "X" painted on it.

Clara got the idea.

Clara's father was standing on the porch waiting for her and her mother was by the new firing range. Her father clapped her on the shoulder before going into the house; this had to be just as awkward for him.

No man liked the idea of his daughter thinking about _that_.

"Okay Clara-Lily, give it a try."

Clara stared at the Scarecrow, squinting at it, and was struck by the fact that this was probably psychologically therapeutic considering her past experiences with Scarecrows. But with her mother standing right next to her she just couldn't summon the images.

"Ah...Mum...It's kind of hard to...get there with you..."

Martha made an "O" shape with her mouth and said "Say no more, I'll be over by the house"

Clara took a deep breath and thought back to the classroom, then the images shifted, blue eyes, soft lips, firm body...strong arms...

The heat came and the Scarecrow burst into flames.

Clara clapped her hands together and looked back at her mother in success, who gave her a smile.

They practised until dark, first with aiming and then with preventing the heat vision until she could think about...that certain someone ... without setting things on fire.

Maybe Clara could earn her grade with Kevan the flour baby after all.

Clara's Lex ban was over, the next time she saw him would be Friday for the food delivery.

Friday was going to be awkward.

**Author's Note: I hope you liked it! Thank you so much for all of your support! Please Review, they really make my day!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own DC, Smallville or the Topeka Trojans. **

**Author's Note: Thank you all so much for your reviews! Here's the next instalment!**

**While most of the information given for the Topeka Trojans is factual from their own website, I could not find the name of their Trojan Mascot and so I have named him Max the Mighty after the High Schools real life Alumni Author Max Yoho. "The World" High School newspaper is also real. School chants etc are made up unless stated otherwise in the Author's Note! **

Chapter 10

Kevan the flour baby didn't need much maintenance, keep him dry, pretend to feed him every 2 hours, pretend to change him, carry him around and generally make sure he didn't end up as white powder on the floor. It wasn't so much the practical aspects of feeding and changing Kevan was meant to teach Chloe and Clara. It was more an issue of responsibility and care giving, someone had to have Kevan at all times, you couldn't leave the packet on its own, it was meant to teach what it was like to constantly be tied to a schedule. Clara didn't mind though, Kevan weighed nothing to her at all and she was used to an early morning routine. Chloe's life was more erratic; she would sometimes stay up late in the night to write or follow an important lead, or suddenly leave to chase up a source. When it was Chloe's turn to look after him Clara felt it was more of a lesson than for her.

Well that is, Clara didn't mind until it was her turn to look after Kevan and she had to go the deliveries with her Dad. Not that it was awkward to carry the trays; Clara had been carrying them in one arm since she was little. But to keep up appearances she had to pretend to labour, so her Mother, ever the inventor, had wrapped a scarf around her like a sling and put Kevan in it. It freed her hands to work while making sure the little bundle of flour didn't burst on the floor.

She'd gotten knowing looks from their patrons with High School children, everyone had the babies. Old Mrs Higgins got reminiscent of how she used to carry her Gerald (now a grown man of 55) in a sling like Clara's when she used to work in her garden.

When they arrive at the mansion she asked her father if she could speak to Lex for a little while after they'd carried everything in. Her father told her reluctantly it was fine, there was still over an hour before school.

Clara felt the burning behind her eyes and dug her nails into her hand and concentrated, the burning receded, thankfully. She hoped her cheeks weren't red; it was awkward to have _feelings_ for a friend. Needless to say the presence of Kevan had Lex confused.

"Good Morning Clara, how's my favourite farm girl?"

Then, Lex spotted the sling with the flour in it and got a quizzical look.

"Clara, are you aware there is a sack of flour with a face on it strapped to your front?"

Clara and Chloe had gotten creative with marker pens; Kevan had big blue eyes, Clara's black hair, a little nose and a cartoon pacifier.

"Oh, this? It's for Science class; we have to look after flour babies. Chloe and I partnered up, we named him Kevan."

Lex went from quizzical to amused.

"Ah, Excelsior Academy didn't participate in this particular rite of passage. I think they thought better of giving a class full of teenage boy's flour. Parental instincts don't run particularly strong in private boys schools, our _offspring_ were bound to become the first casualties of a food fight. Your little Kevan looks like he's doing great though. I assume it's a mixture of Kent and Sullivan? Clever."

"Thanks, today it's my day to look after Kevan, but Chloe's taking him for my birthday tomorrow."

"Right, you said that, 18? Does it make you feel old?"

"Well it hasn't happened yet but no, not really."

"Well it's got to be a lot of responsibility, being a mother to a flour baby, he'll put grey in your hair once he starts High School."

Lex winked at her when he said that, idly Clara wondered if Lex had given Lionel Luthor any grey hairs, but then again, from what Lex said they hadn't seen each other much. She couldn't help thinking how handsome he looked when he was jovial. He usually had such a serious countenance.

"I don't mind him, he's not high maintenance, my Mum said from the minute they adopted me I was a bundle of energy and into everything."

"So, does he make you broody?"

That was a shock to Clara's system. It was as if Lex had read her every thought and evolved it to the next step, she had to admit that whenever she thought of having children, she automatically thought of Lex. She knew it was just because he was the only older man she knew, and it didn't help he was handsome, successful and charming. Clara hated her hormones.

"What?"

"Would you ever want children of your own? A little Kent to chase around the house and feed apple pie to?"

Lex had a sudden vision of Clara swinging around a little boy, he had her sweet face and deep blue eyes, but his hair was bright red. Lex was surprised by his own mind but had to admit he liked the image. Sometimes he forgot what his hair had looked like, he had to admit, mixing his and Clara's genes would make a handsome child. When had he started thinking about having hypothetical children with Clara? They were just friends; she wasn't even 18 yet.

Still, there was no harm in day dreaming. Nothing would come of it.

Clara interrupted his musing.

"I guess I would, not anytime soon of course, but I'd like to give a child the life I had growing up. If it's possible for me to have kids, I'd like to think I could be half the parent mine were to me."

"What do you mean, if it's possible?"

Clara was stricken, she hadn't thought before she spoke.

"I just mean, my Mum, she ... can't have biological kids, but she didn't find out until after she married my Dad. I might find out the same one day, it's a matter of chance."

Clara thanked her brain for the save. She had no idea if she'd ever have biological children because of her Kryptonian heritage, she didn't know if she was compatible with a human. Although, she felt guilty for using her mother to cover up her slip of the tongue.

Lex nodded in understanding.

Clara has no idea why she felt comfortable talking about her reproductive possibilities with Lex. It was a rather random conversation and hit too close to home with her little heat vision problem. The universe hated her.

"Blood doesn't matter so much anyway, my parents loved me just as much as a biological child, I just hope I could be as good a parent as they were."

"Well, biological or not, I think you'd make a great mother."

"Really? What makes you say that?"

Lex stepped towards her and looked into her eyes with a slight smile upon his lips.

"If you'd dive into a river for a complete stranger then I think it's safe to say you'd be a veritable Super Woman for your own child. I'd hate to get between a Kent and her offspring."

Lex lifted his hands in a mock gesture of surrender.

Clara shook her head in admonishment but a smile tugged at her lips.

"It's all academic anyway; I'd have to find the right partner before I even considered anything like that."

Lex's smile widened and his cocked his head slightly to the right and mimicked her own words.

"Yeah, the right partner."

Lex and Clara looked at each other for what seemed like an age, absorbed, until Clara broke eye contact and changed the subject.

"So...are you coming to the big game tonight? High School football is a big deal in Smallville. It's the Crows versus the Topeka Trojans, Chloe and I will be there to report on the game, she's going to be taking pictures while I take notes, she's not a big football fan."

"You are?"

"My Dad was a High School football star and we're diehard Metropolis Sharks fans. Pete's Dad always had cable so we'd go and watch the game at his house. Pete's moved away now though, so I guess we'll have to watch it somewhere else."

"Have you ever seen a live game?"

"Only once, my Dad took me to a game when I was 12, we were at the back, but the whole experience was thrilling. I love the crowds' atmosphere, and the food. Sharks dogs are awesome, whenever we are in Metropolis my Dad and I go and get one."

Lex looked thoughtful for a moment and then looked as if he'd decided something.

"I think I will come to the game tonight, it's time I got more into the swing of the Smallville social scene. A lot of my employees will probably be there, it'd be a chance to meet them in an informal setting."

"Great! _Everyone _goes to the Crows games. Wear red or yellow, those are our colours, I know you like darker tones but the Trojans are black and gold and you're liable to get some dirty looks if you turn up in a black shirt in the home section!"

"I've got it, football etiquette will be observed. Should I bring a baseball cap with beer and straws attached and a foam hand too?"

"I'll think you'll survive without them."

Clara bade goodbye to Lex and he watched her leave for school. He had a few calls to make concerning the Metro-Sharks.

It was quite convenient his father owned them.

...

School that day was a buzz of activity to prepare for the big game. Work was minimal, the teachers knew from experience that getting anyone to concentrate the day of a football game was almost impossible. So, strategically through the week the teachers had loaded them with homework in order to compensate. The Crows and the Cheerleaders were in attendance but their minds were clearly on one thing. Lucas Lang sat with his compatriots speaking the secret language of manoeuvres while Whitney had corralled her squad and was lecturing them on the formations and moves.

"Chastity! If you don't straighten your leg on the splits in that move so help me God I will find someone else who can! You'd think someone who spent so much time with her legs apart would get more flexible!"

Chastity Dorne was notoriously _popular_ with the male community, there were rumours about her and the young art teacher Mr Patterson, but that was a very unfair pronouncement. But Chloe and Clara had other things to worry about; it was a busy day at The Torch. Chloe thought she had some major dirt on the uncouth practices of the Football Coach and they had a half day for the game. While they worked they'd offered The Torch room as a Creche until the game, the cheerleaders and footballers who couldn't keep their floury offspring with them paid $3 each. It would go towards local children's charities. They'd paid Donny Gleeson $10 to watch them all during the game; he hated crowds and needed money to feed his comic book habit, he was obsessed with Warrior Angel, Clara had to confess to being a fan of that comic too. So far they'd made $65, minus Donny's minding fee.

It came to 6pm and Chloe and Clara left Donny to watch the flour babies with his stack of comics. They'd elected to keep Kevan with them, the sling made him no trouble for Clara and she had to admit she was getting used to him. It seemed Kryptonian's had parenting instincts too. It was strange to get so attached to a bag of flour. Clara had very acute hearing and eyesight, and so she wouldn't need to sit right next to the field to see what was going on, she chose a seat in the middle of the stands. The rest of the benches began to fill out quickly, parents and families as well as Crows fans and former players in their pride colours. The Crow stadium, dubbed "The Nest" was the one thing Smallville poured its money into. It was one of the only ways for a farmer's son to get a scholarship, the Metro-Sharks sent scouts to Crows games, for both footballers and Cheerleaders.

Lucas and Whitney had to both be aware that their futures rode on a good performance. Although, Clara had no idea that Whitney's situation had made her even more desperate. Chloe had decided against telling Clara, she was not very good at hiding her emotions and Whitney would pick up on sympathy. Also, it was not her secret to tell. Chloe thought it was almost frightening how good she was becoming at keeping secrets. She'd taken up her station by the sidelines, snapping shots of the crowd and notable members of the community, she'd also take pictures as the teams filed out. What didn't go in the paper was bound to find its way onto The Torch Online and in the yearbook.

As more people filed in Clara saw her mother and father enter The Nest, they waved to her and took a seat closer to the front, they knew she was working. Clara had written a list of players and cheerleaders names and spotted the talent scout near the front when she saw Lex walk in. He had donned a crimson red suit-shirt for the occasion, as well as what looked like designer jeans. It was strange to see Lex in something other than a suit. She supposed he was trying to blend in a little and he looked around the field with interest, his eyes moved to the stand and then spotted her, he smiled and she waved before he came up and sat with her. Clara could hear the choice comments and her parents had glanced their way, Lex gave them a greeting too, Martha waved back with a smile but Jonathan stiffly nodded his head.

"Hey Lex, you decided to come after all! How do you like The Nest?"

"It's the newest thing I've seen in this town, I can definitely see where the peoples enthusiasm lies."

"So, how do you like my casual look?"

Lex opened his arms out for Clara she raked her eyes up and down his body, Lex seemed to enjoy the appraisal."

"It suits you, makes you seem less otherworldly, the people of this town are bound to think you're some kind of vampire in your black suits and castle."

"Oh no, not a vampire, I'm definitely more the evil genius type, I'm Devilicus in the making."

"No, you're a Stephen Swift, you rescued me didn't you? All you needed was a red cape."

A look of surprise and admiration came across Lex's face: "You read Warrior Angel?"

"It seems you do to. I used to read Pete's copies growing up, we were nutty about him."

"I've always been a fan, perhaps because Warrior Angel is one of the only superheroes with a bald head, it comforted me. I have every edition, including the first."

"Really? You'll have to show me sometime, us geeks need to stay together!"

Lex smiled at her, this was another thing they had in common. It seemed he was learning something new about his Angel of Mercy every time they met and each time it was something good. In his experience the more you know about someone the less you like them. Clara seemed to break all his preconceptions. He looked at her as she pointed out some of the notable members of the community and he filed them away for future reference, he saw she was writing them down as she said them. Her handwriting wasn't fancy, or particularly neat, completely unlike his flowing Calligraphy. It added to her charm. She spoke animatedly, her blue eyes full of light and her hair flowing around her as she spoke. He loved her hair, so long and dark, it curled at the ends in the small of her back. As her lips moved he saw they were rosy and plump, her teeth white and straight beneath them. Her skin was pale and clear despite the amount of time she must spend in the sun; it complimented her well fitting "Crows" t-shirt nicely. Lex had seen many of the High-School kids wearing them, even some of the parents but none of them looked as good as Clara.

Lex thought he really needed to stop thinking about his friend this way; she was 17 and the purest and sweetest person he knew. However, the darker part of his mind, the part that spoke to his darkest desires, reminded him that tomorrow she was 18 and those thoughts could be put into actions.

Or, it whispered, if he wouldn't act upon his feelings, he could stop anyone else from getting near her.

Lex was thankful when the marching band fan fare began; the darker part of his mind was hard to control at times, the Devilicus inside.

The Teams streamed out to their sides followed by their Cheerleaders and mascots. Clara knew that Jimmy Wilson was inside the Crow "Cornelius" or "Corny" for short. Corny the Crow faced the crows, flapping his wings and running up and down. The Topeka Trojans Mascot was Max the Mighty, a suit just like their own crow with a large helmet and exaggerated muscles; he was named after the High Schools Alumni author Max Yoho. Clara spotted some of Topeka's reporters from their High School paper "The World" and saw Chloe jostling with their photographer for the best shots of the teams.

Clara looked at Lex and saw he was frowning slightly, looking intently at the field. He was looking at Whitney and the Cheerleaders chanting at their Trojan opposite numbers.

"Ready? Ok! Trojans think they're really big with shields and spears and bows, but in the end they're going to bend and be a Feast for Crows. Oh Smallville Crows you Caw! We'll beat them to the floor!..."

Clara didn't think their chants were especially inspiring but the scout seemed to like them. She was gladder than ever she'd decided against the Cheerleading squad. The teams had flipped the coin and were huddling.

She touched Lex on the arm to distract him from his death glare. He started but then looked at her hand on his arm and his whole body seemed to relax. They wouldn't have been able to hear each other over the crowd but he seemed to get the message, his own hand reached out and patted hers before she retracted it to keep writing. She scratched at her eye with the other, they were burning slightly, Clara took some calming breaths. It wouldn't do to set The Nest on fire.

The game progressed, Smallville were up against the Trojans and the crowd loved it, home field advantage was definitely at play.

Clara could see her parents cheering near the front and glancing over to Lex she saw he was quite enthralled with the game.

Corny the Crow and Max the Mighty almost came to blows at half time, but were separated by the officials. Chloe got some good photographs of that incident.

The sun had set before the game but after halftime the air chilled slightly, Clara didn't feel the weather as others did but she had to keep up appearances. Other members of the crowd were donning jumpers and pullovers. Clara adjusted Kevan then reached into her rucksack and pulled out a blanket, she'd packed it for this reason, and she indicated to Lex to pull it over his legs too. He smiled gratefully and edged closer to take some blanket. Clara could feel the heat radiating from his skin next to her, their legs were almost touching. She blinked a few times to reduce the burn in her eyes, her heart had quickened and she fidgeted as minutely as possible.

Clara was thankful that her parents had not seen her manoeuvre; they were enthralled by the players.

Lex was pleased with this development, although he thought it was more an offer of kindness of Clara's part than a concerted attempt to enter his personal space. He had no idea that Clara did not need a blanket at all.

The game went well for the Smallville Crows, beating the opposition 53-20. The after game celebration consisted of enthusiastic cheering, some acrobatics on the cheerleaders parts and the star player, Lucas, was bathed in Gatorade and man-hugs.

Clara checked on Kevan and stood up to clap and then reached down to her bag. Lex folded up the blanket and handed it to her. She was touched he had done it for her. Clara saw Chloe talking with Coach Arnold down on the field, obviously getting the scoop on the win. She then received a text.

"Hey, I've got this, you take off, we'll compare notes on Sunday. Happy Birthday for tomorrow! Xxx"

Clara quickly text back "Thank you" and then packed her bag, leading Lex down the bleachers through the crowds towards her parents.

"Clara-Lily!" said her mother as they approached.

"Lex! How did you enjoy the game?"

Lex shook hands with Martha and a Jonathan.

"It was quite an experience, Clara gave me the inside scoop. You've got quite a talented team there; I'll have to come to a few more games."

"That's great, Clara, we're headed home now if you want a ride?"

"Yeah, thanks Mum, I'll see you soon Lex, you've got to show me that Warrior Angel collection and I still owe you a town tour."

Lex smiled and nodded "I look forward to it"

"Goodbye Mr and Mrs Kent, I'll most likely be seeing you soon."

He nodded to them all and then walked into the crowd, greeting people as he went by and clearly headed for some of the important citizens Clara had pointed out.

It only occurred to Clara once she was in her Father's truck that not once tonight had she had a more than friendly thought about Lucas, despite his performance. All her attention had been focused on Lex, his reactions to the game, his proximity, the quirk of his mouth when she spoke, the ice blue of his eyes...

She was doomed.

**Author's Note: Thanks for reading, please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own DC or Smallville!**

**Author's Note: Thanks so much for your reviews, it's time to say Happy Birthday to Clara!**

**Chapter 11**

The morning of Clara's 18th birthday was bright and cool, but she still had to wake up with the sun to do her chores. Even a birthday didn't stop the farm. The farmer's market wouldn't be on today; it never was the night after a home game in winter, too many of the town residents would be sleeping in. Clara had looked at herself that morning and not felt any older, she supposed the number didn't matter; it was the experience that went with it. It occurred to her she'd never asked Lex how old he was, but he'd said he was 9 when he was in the meteor shower and his birthday was June 21st so 15 years later he would be 24. That seemed so old and so young at the same time. It depended on your perspective.

Martha and Jonathan Kent had greeted their daughter that morning with chocolate chip pancakes and fresh orange juice as well as one present. It was a tradition in the Kent family for the birthday girl or boy to open one gift in the morning and then the rest in the evening at the family dinner. A large flat box was waiting for her on the kitchen table as was tradition. Clara had opened it excitedly and a rush of fresh leather reached her nostrils. It was a crimson red leather jacket. Clara tried it on as her parents smiled on, it fit perfectly, and it zipped up at the front hugging her waist. Clara loved it.

"I'm glad you like it sweetie, your father and I saw your old red jacket was getting a little thread bare, so we thought we'd get you something more grown up and rain-proof."

Clara wore her new jacket while doing her chores and it was very durable, not a scratch went on it.

After chores Chloe was coming to pick her up. Martha was taking care of Kevan the flour baby today. Chloe and Clara were going into town to eat lunch and see a movie. Chloe pulled up in her car and hugged Clara and they sped off into town.

They ate lunch at Clara's favourite sandwich deli and went to the art deco movie theatre. Clara was saddened by the signs outside; the owners were going into foreclosure and would be evicted at the end of the year. There was no sign that anyone else would be taking up their mantle. The people of Smallville would have to drive to Metropolis to see a movie then. The movie showing was "The Producers" and Clara and Chloe laughed at the dishonest shenanigans of Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane. Clara had never been one to wear dresses, but the sweetheart neckline blue dress Uma Thurman wore was truly beautiful. Although she'd be quite self conscious with a neckline that low, still she said how beautiful it was to Chloe who had agreed. Subconsciously she wondered if Lex would like her to dress like that, to wear dresses and pretty things. Then again, when would a farm girl need to wear a dress like that? You could exactly bale hay or fix a tractor in it.

Maybe when she was older and had places to wear something like that to.

The rest of the day was spent examining the various shops on the promenade, there weren't many, but what they had was good quality and Kansas made. They even braved Fordman's Department Store, knowing that Whitney didn't work Saturday's after home games. Whitney's mother was there and nodded to them with a wan smile, she looked drawn and tired.

Chloe was coveting a green leather jacket, it looked well on her but she was saving up money for college. Knowing Chloe she wouldn't need it, she was bound to get a full ride wherever she went. In the end Chloe braved living on Ramen in College for the jacket, citing it was discounted from $100 to $60 already and would be snapped up if she waited. Clara thought it was a good decision, even if they looked quite odd standing next to each other.

Walking past Nell's she saw Lucas was working. He was an odd picture, a tall muscular boy in his pale green work apron, clearly bought by his aunt, which was green with "Nell's" written on it with roses around it. He spotted them through the window and waved and they waved back. Clara was glad his attention did not instigate the butterflies and numb tongue it once had, that was reserved for someone far more inaccessible.

Clara wondered if she had a complex for unavailable men, but she shook it off. Didn't that usually stem from an absent father figure? But Jonathan Kent has been very attentive as a father. Maybe it was a result of residual trauma from being separated from her birth parents? She wasn't a psychologist, what did she know?

After buying the jacket there was still over an hour before Clara had to be back home so they decided to go to get some coffee (although it had no stimulant affect of Clara) and sat in the town square.

Clara and Chloe were a sight, young, beautiful and decked in red and green.

"So, have you heard anything more from Dr Swann?"

"Not really, I think he's waiting for us to contact _him_. I've sent an e-mail to Kyla about visiting the Kawatche caves but she says they are restricted and we'd need permission from the current owner. The problem it's Luthorcorp, we'd have to talk to Lionel Luthor and I know you're family already have history with him."

A silence followed for a while then Chloe spoke up.

"So...you were getting quite close to a certain billionaire last night, is there smooching in the off?"

Clara blushed and protested.

"No! We're just friends! It was getting cold so we shared a blanket, there's nothing else to it!"

"Apart from the fact you don't get cold Miss Solar Panel! Also, from how red you are right now, there's got to be more going on than "just friends". Don't forget, I know about your little _fire starter_ problem!"

Clara was defeated by Chloe, as usual. Chloe could pry international secrets out of a CIA agent.

"Fine, I do like him, _a lot_. But it will never go anywhere, he's a handsome billionaire and I'm an extra-terrestrial farm girl. How could someone like him have feelings for someone like me? I've seen the tabloid pictures, the supermodels and heiresses, I can't compete with that."

Chloe shook her head in admonishment, put down her coffee and placed her hand on Clara's shoulder, Clara's posture had become defeated, head lowered and eyes staring blankly at the steam from her coffee.

"Clara, you've said yourself that he's been sweet to you, rescued you, even given you a lecture on your self worth. You've seen the way he looks at you, I can tell he likes to spend time with you; your feelings might not be as unrequited as you believe. Maybe he's scared to make the first move, he might feel as unworthy as you do, or awkward, you were 17 until today, to approach you would technically have been illegal."

Clara contemplated this while taking a sip of her cooling coffee.

"Even if he does like me, hypothetically, how would I find out he does without asking outright."

"That's easy, body language."

"What?"

"Watch his eyes, how he looks at you? Does he move closer when you do or does he back off, does he smile? What tone of voice does he use? Where do his eyes linger? Watch his face, his hands, the subtle touches he gives you, a hand on the arm or on the back when you're walking together, a brush of fingers, a subconscious adjustment of clothing, a licking of his lips. There's tonnes of tell tale signs. Not all are the same but you should look for them."

"Wow, you know a lot about this."

"Well, I've had practical experience."

That surprised Clara.

"You didn't tell me! When did this happen?"

"You know when I did work experience in the copy room of the Daily Planet last summer? There was a junior photographer, Jimmy, Jimmy Olsen, we got...close, biblically speaking."

"Oh...Why didn't you say anything?"

"To be honest I was a little embarrassed, I didn't want you to think I was easy. I knew him for so short a time but we clicked and it felt right. I knew you would never do anything so impulsive."

"Chloe, I'm not as innocent or perfect as you make out, I would have understood. You obviously liked him and if it was okay with you then that's all that matters."

Chloe looked relieved and slightly teary, the girls hugged on the bench in the square, a mesh of red and green. After they parted Clara decided to be a little cheeky.

"So, how was it?"

Chloe blushed, something she was not known for and slapped Clara on the arm, making her hand sting.

"Clara! ...Well, it wasn't like they say it is; it was fumbling and awkward and really fast. It hurt a little at first, but it was partly him and partly falling together from the photocopier to the floor. It wasn't one of my more graceful moments. I don't think he'd done it before either, at least he didn't act like he had. He was really sweet though, and very shy and he had these big blue eyes..."

"So no fireworks then or rainbows then...did you enjoy it? Do you regret it?"

Chloe thought for a moment before answering, her face was pensive.

"No I don't, from what I heard it could have been much worse and I really liked Jimmy. A lot of people don't even get that connection. You won't have to worry, I'm sure Lex is _experienced_."

Clara went red again, now the attention was back on her she wasn't comfortable with the topic. They were talking about her hypothetically sleeping with Lex! They weren't even dating! Teenagers get carried away she supposed.

Time for a subject change.

Clara looked at her watch and saw it was coming up to 4.30pm, it was time to head back home.

"Don't think you've been saved by the bell missy, there's still the drive home!"

Sometimes having the world's greatest junior reporter as a best friend was very annoying.

Still, it came in handy at times.

Now for a nice family birthday dinner with Mum and Dad.

There was something to be said for tradition and normality.

Chloe dropped Clara off at the border of the Kent homestead, Clara walked down the driveway on her own. There was an unfamiliar car in front of the house, black and sleek, clearly expensive, maybe Lex had come to say hello? But he had the black SUV now.

Clara opened the door to reveal streamers and a Happy 18th Birthday sign in the kitchen.

It looked like dinner was in the oven but her mother wasn't in the kitchen.

Walking into the living room she saw her mother and father sitting on the couch opposite an older man in the armchair. He looked tall, his hair was silver, his face lined but he was still healthy and wore an expensive suit. He stood up when he saw her, and her parents copied, there was something familiar about this man.

"Clara-Lily Happy Birthday" Martha walked over and hugged her daughter, then brought her over to the new person. Her father remained standing by the couch, his lips thin and grim, a line half between worry and anger on his forehead, his arms were folded tightly.

"Clara-Lily, someone's come to meet you, you haven't seen him since you were very small. This is your Grandfather, William Clark; he's come for your birthday."

Her Grandfather, she vaguely remembered a man who gave her a stuffed bunny; she remembered more that her father and he used to argue.

The look on his face was unusual, it was almost apprehensive about her reaction.

But family was important, and this was her Grandfather, it was partly her fault that he hadn't been in her life.

She was so excited to meet more family.

"Hello Grandpa!"

Clara walked forward and hugged the man; he clearly didn't expect it because he hesitated before reciprocating. After a long while they parted.

"It's wonderful to see you in person Clara, I don't think you are aware that your mother has sent me letters about you all your life, as well as your school pictures. You've been making wonderful progress at school; it's hard to believe your nearly old enough for college now. That, in fact, is part of the reason why I'm here."

William Clark, Clara's Grandfather, reached into an inner pocket and produced an envelope, he handed it to Clara.

"Clara, perhaps this will go part way to making up for my absence from your life, and guarantee you a better future."

Clara looked at her mother who nodded to open it; her father turned his face away slightly.

Inside was a bank statement, and a debit card for Metropolis Bank and Trust. Clara was confused until she saw the account was in her name and had been opened 15 years ago.

Clara's eyes drifted to the figure written on the paper, and despite her keen eyesight she had to double take.

Current Balance: _$500,000 _

Oh.

"Happy 18th Birthday Clara."

**Author's Note: I hope you liked it! Please read and review! **


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own DC, although I did dress up as Zatanna for a fencing social the other day!**

**Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews and here's the aftermath of Clara's special birthday present!**

Chapter 12

$500,000, $ 5-0-0-,-0-0-0, Five Hundred Thousand Dollars, Half a Million, and her estranged grandfather had just handed it to her like a birthday card.

"It may seem quite extravagant to you Clara, but the way the economy is beginning to trend, the tax involved and university tuition rising I thought it best to ensure you could choose any university you wanted. Oxford, Harvard, or if you decide so, Metropolis University will be open to you. The world is highly competitive, you deserve every advantage. A student loan will have you in debt for more than 20 years. I give you this money, not as a bribe for your affection, but in hope that I can make you future better, and that in time we can know each other better. If you want, you can come with me as my assistant to some special events, and your mother has told me of your interest in journalism and I've read some of your pieces. You could always come with me to court; to see what courtroom journalism is like. You don't have to decide right now, the money is yours; you can do what you wish with it."

In the absence of decision making power, Clara reverted to courtesy.

"Thank you, Grandpa" Clara said, and hugged her Grandfather again.

Martha chose this time to intervene; Jonathan was still standing stonily by the couch.

"I think I hear the timer, who wants lasagne?"

The meal was almost pleasant, the adults made an effort to push the money from their minds and the silence was almost amiable. But every time Jonathan or William's eyes glanced each other's way the tension level rose. Jonathan Kent did not want this man in his house. He was absent from Clara's life and now he thought he could buy her. Jonathan Kent had been a farm boy in the big city, studying Business Agriculture at Metropolis University, when he had met the love of his life, Martha Clark, who was studying Law. William Clark had never approved of their association, even Martha has been hesitant, she'd turned him down the first four times he'd asked her out. But it had blossomed into something wonderful, and Clark has been furious that his plans for Martha to take over his Law practice were replaced by plans for marriage and a family. Jonathan Kent, farm man, would never be good enough for Martha Clark, Lawyer. But, when he had proposed, Martha said yes, and that created an insurmountable canyon between Clark and Kent. Jonathan would always be the man who ruined Martha's life, took her away from a bright future into the sticks to raise cattle and bale hay.

When they'd adopted Clara, Martha had hoped to reconcile with her father, they had invited him round to meet her. Clara had stayed very quiet as she hadn't spoken English when they first found her and when she did speak it was in words they didn't understand, but she was always very tactile and not at all shy. They'd told everyone she was abandoned before social services picked her up, and that she was probably the daughter of immigrants, to account for her lack of verbal communication. William Clark was very taken with Clara; he had given her a stuffed rabbit, it was an almost exact replica of one Martha had as a child. Clara had been delighted, carrying it around everywhere by the ears, babbling in what they now knew as Kryptonian. After time English had replaced her mother tongue and it had been lost to her. She'd named the rabbit "Clarkie". Jonathan had tried to be polite for Martha's sake, but Clark had insisted they needed financial help for Clara, he just couldn't let go of the past. Jonathan had to admit he couldn't either, they'd had a final argument that had greatly upset both Martha and Clara, and William Clark had not darkened his door until today.

Jonathan had always known his wife had kept in contact with her father, even if she didn't. But he would never have expected Martha to invite him back into their lives without consulting him. However, it was done and William Clark had done what he always did, involved money. The Martian had somehow spooked his wife and she must want her father around for his legal abilities as well as for family.

Now, Clara had been given a choice, and as her father Jonathan wasn't happy about it. He had always told Clara they must earn what they get, and now she'd been handed a future. Yet, at the same time, he wanted her to have every chance possible, perhaps he was prejudiced against the money because it was from William Clark. Shouldn't he want Clara to have every possibility in life? Especially as she was already so different. But, Clara was 18 today and it was her decision, if she wanted the money he would not begrudge her it. Clara was almost grown-up and Jonathan didn't want her to affect her chances of success because he disapproved of money.

Perhaps this money could be made into something positive after all, Clara had never had such responsibility, or had to handle finances. She was a farm girl through and through, and if she wanted to be a journalist she needed to know more of city life, and be able to handle herself once she was there. Having William Clark there by her side, and a nest egg, could be crucial to her future.

It would be up to Clara.

Clara was delighted to have more family, she could barely remember her Grandfather, but she knew that her stuffed rabbit, Clarkie, had come from him. Clarkie was rather worn now, but he and a few others still lived at the foot of her bed. Clara had grown up not considering money to be very important, until the last few years when time had become hard at the farm. She had never minded, but now, she had a way to ensure she wasn't a financial burden on her parents, and she could afford to go to college without their assistance. This gift was more than just money, it was stability, and if the farm ever got in trouble again she would be able to help a little.

Clara looked at her father, who had a pensive expression. She knew her father didn't like William Clark, that they had a history that involved her mother. It was part of the reason she hadn't seen her Grandfather growing up, apart from her abilities that is. Her father wasn't happy about the money; he was currently staring down his lasagne. Her mother was smiling between the three of them, Jonathan, Clara, and William, and seemed earnestly pleased they were all together like this. Although, her eyes showed her worry, she was obviously nervous of Jonathan's reaction.

But, the more they ate, the more they seemed to forget what had just happened and some amiable banter began about Clara's time at school and on the paper.

Martha just wanted everyone to get alone, for Clara's sake, it was her birthday. Her father had warned her that this might happen, but Clara didn't seem upset of worried at all, she was smiling and talking as usual. Time went on, dinner finished, and Martha brought out Clara's birthday cake, covered in 18 candles. It was Clara's favourite, Red Velvet cake. She'd covered it in blue icing, Clara's favourite colour, and written her name in yellow. It made quite a striking contrast when it was cut into. Martha smiled remembering the first time Clara had tried red velvet cake; she had been 4, a year after they got her, and it had gone everywhere. Clara was fascinated by the colour, but had been sceptical it was actually food. Yet, once she got the courage to eat it, it was smeared all over her hands and mouth in no time.

After cake came some tea and coffee, and then the fun was over and Clara had come to a decision.

Clara had thought about it all evening and knew she could probably think about it for the next century.

"Grandpa, I've decided to keep the money, and I want you to know how grateful I am for it. I'll use it well, but I want to take you up on the work you offered, as your assistant and court note taker and anything else you want me to do. I want to prove I'm worth this great opportunity you've given me."

William Clark nodded in approval.

"If that's what you want Clara then I'm glad. Your mother has my numbers if you need me in the mean time. For now, it's getting late, and I have court tomorrow morning. Good night Clara, Martha, ...Kent.

William Clark kissed his daughter and granddaughter on the forehead and nodded his head at his son-in-law before going to his car and driving out of sight.

Once he was gone Clara turned to her father, who was still standing stoically.

She voiced her thoughts.

"Are you disappointed in me? Because I took the money? I know you don't believe in taking expensive gifts, or in large rewards."

Jonathan shook his head slowly at his daughter; he had thought this might happen.

"Clara, I know I've always taught you to earn what you get, and that is exactly what you've done tonight. You didn't take the easy option, simply taking the money as it was offered, with no provisos. Instead, you offered to work for it and prove yourself. All I've ever wanted to teach you was the value of money and the need for caution and discipline with it. Tonight you showed you accepted those lessons and put them into practise. Now, while you know your Grandfather and I don't get on about a lot of things, I know he does care about you, and this is the only way he knows how to show it. I'm proud of your decision, you thought for yourself and you're coming to the age that your mother and I won't be making choices for you."

Martha looked pleasantly surprised by Jonathan's answer, so was Clara, who was speechless and simply grabbed her father in a bear hug. Clara had always been a Daddies girl, she knew you weren't meant to pick favourites, but her father has always been her overriding moral role model. She was so relieved she hadn't disappointed him, or her mother, that would be the worst thing imaginable for her.

"Thanks Dad, that means a lot."

Clara looked over at her mother who smiled, and Clara grabbed her in for a group hug. Tonight at least, the Kent's were alright.

Clara went to bed soon after, It was only 10pm but she was tired from her exciting day, lovingly placing the red leather jacket on the hook by the front door and her debit card into her wallet.

_Clara dreamed of life in Metropolis, of cars and classrooms, her grandfather and her parents all together and curiously of Lex, together with her at what in her mind was the top of the Daily Planet, the huge golden globe towering above them ... Lex was down on one knee ... red cloth fluttered in her peripheral vision, vibrant against the sky...but she couldn't hear what Lex was saying...a loud screeching sound was filling her ears, making her head ring...pulling her upward..._

Clara woke abruptly, falling down onto her bed, she had been hovering again. The ringing didn't stop, screecing in her ear, oscillating louder and lower. The clock read 11.45pm; she'd only been asleep for an hour and forty five minutes. The sound was coming from the corner of the room. Clara got up and stumbled to her book bag, opening it and saw that there was light emanating from it, reaching in she pulled out the cloth that held the octagonal key. Light was emerging from the words inscribed, and the ringing somehow coming from the key.

Clara felt the sudden urge to leave the room with it and stumbled into the hallway, knocking over a vase that was on a table there.

Jonathan Kent and his wife came into the corridor and saw Clara holding her hands over her ears. Martha rushed to her daughter and held her shoulders.

"Honey, what's wrong, what do you hear? Are you hurt?"

"The...The key...it's...it's ringing...it...it wants me to...to go somewhere...to...to go down..."

Clara didn't know why it wanted her to go down, she wanted the pain in her ears to stop. But, Jonathan Kent has an idea.

"The storm cellar"

Martha nodded in understanding and Jonathan swept his daughter up in his arms, rushing down the stairs and out the back door. Martha came out a moment later with the keys to the storm cellar and they descended together. Jonathan put Clara on the ground and rushed to the large figure in the room, a lumpy object covered by a tarp. Martha helped him rip it off and they saw Clara's ship, as pristine as the day they found her, but with a new addition. The egg shape with curved wings now had an octagonal slot at the front, the exact size of Clara's key. Clara stood shakily, the sound increasing as she came closer, and she slotted the key into the ship. A shock wave flew off of it, sending Martha and Jonathan to the floor but only making Clara move back a step; she looked backwards and saw her parents were alright, although her mother was a little shaky as Jonathan helped her to her feet. Looking back Clara saw bright light and Kryptonian Symbols, they read as the same message Dr Swan had shown her.

The ship opened up and Clara couldn't believe she had once fit into it.

Then a voice emerged from inside. A voice that was strangely familiar yet entirely foreign.

"_Kala-El, my daughter, today is your 18__th__ name-day and on our planet Krypton you have reached your age of majority. I am the voice of your father Jor-El, your mother Lara and I cannot be with you, but I have sent this part of myself, my knowledge and my wisdom, in this computer construct, to guide you on your journey. Your mother Lara and I sent you to the Kent family, in hope that you would learn the values to become a great symbol for human kind, your time of trial begins today. You have lived as a human for most of your life, but now it is time to claim your Kryptonian inheritance. Hidden around the Earth by your ancient Kryptonian forbears are three Crystals, each representing an element and a part of Krypton's knowledge, that of Fire, Water and Air. Together they represent the wealth of all Kryptonian wisdom and knowledge and can open a gateway to part of Krypton's heritage. This is your inheritance, Kala-El, your task is to find and regain this part of yourself and therefore to reclaim your Kryptonian self. Also, to Jonathan and Martha Kent, I thank you for raising Kala-El in the way that we would have wished, and hope you shall continue to guide her on her path to greatness. Good luck my daughter, your mother and I will be with you, all the days of your life_."

The light receded and the key fused into the ship, leaving the surface smooth. The ship closed and the lights receded.

Clara stood stunned as her parents approached, also struck dumb. She's just heard her birth fathers voice; it had come out of a space ship...it had given her a task, an almost impossible task...

It seemed she'd be doing more than just work experience in the future.

In the distance the Martian Manhunter stood watch, the voice of Jor-El resounding in his enhanced hearing. The message finished, he nodded and flew into the sky. Clara Kent would need help for her journey to come; they would need a team, a league of fellows dedicated to protecting the people, for good, for right, for justice...A Justice League.

**Authors Note: I hope you liked it! Next will be Lex's town tour! **


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I don't own DC, although Batman rocks. **

**Author's Note: Thanks for all your reviews! I'm planning to introduce some DC characters that couldn't be mentioned directly or seen due to series and movie contract issues during the Smallville series. So you may be meeting some familiar and cool people sooner than you think. That is all I will say, see if you can guess. **

Chapter 13

So, it turns out her parents has picked the perfect birth date for her, because it was actually her real birthday, the universe was full of funny things, such as talking spaceships and global treasure hints. Clara has no idea at all how to start, but she met Chloe at 8am on Sunday in order to coordinate the Crows Win feature and help make the proofs for The Torch layout this week. Chloe was just as excited and puzzled by the news of the Crystals, and the possibility of an alien AI with the voice and knowledge of Clara's birth father. Now that they had a direction, something other than the Kawatche Caves, which had become road blocked by Lionel Luthor, Chloe decided it was time to contact Dr Swan.

"He has contacts everywhere, and his SwanTech satellites are bound to be able to help with the search. You said Jor-El told you the Crystals were ancient? The Kawatche caves have Kryptonian writing, so they have to have been there, maybe the Kawatche weren't the only civilisation your people visited? I'll start searching for Kryptonian symbols in the ancient world, Greece, Rome, Egypt, places of built up civilisation. Maybe you should ask your Martian friend if he knows anything? If only we could put all this onto our resumés!"

"If we did Chloe you'd be black bagged by the government ASAP and made into some kind of super intelligence agent."

Chloe looked at Clara sceptically and said "You read too many comic books"

"Chloe, our life practically is a comic book; I'm an alien from a destroyed planet sent to help save humanity from a future doom. I shoot heat rays from my eyes Chloe! All I need is an arch nemesis and I don't think Whitney counts."

"Does that mean I'm the side kick?"

"No, with your awesome tech skills you'd be your own brand of kick-ass hero, like that Batman character we've been hearing about in Gotham. He doesn't have any powers, at least none I've heard about. Did you read the Gotham Times Online feature on him? Apparently he helped the police catch a major mob boss a couple of weeks ago! I think his name was Falcone?"

Chloe smiled at Clara's enthusiasm.

"Has someone got a little crush? Yeah, I read that feature. This Batman definitely seems your type, anti-hero, slightly dark, and with some really cool toys, like someone else we both know..."

Clara gave Chloe a withering look that didn't affect her at all, seeing this Clara placed Kevan the flour baby on Chloe's lap before going to refill her coffee, they were meant to be laying out the paper!

After three hours they were ready to print, but they would save it until Monday morning, there was always the chance something dramatic would happen for the front page. Chloe picked up Kevan and waved Clara goodbye, she was going to spend the rest of the day in Metropolis with her Dad. They were going to look at new laptop equipment; Chloe's birthday was in a few weeks.

Chloe's inference about her connection to a certain someone reminded her of a promise she had made. Picking up her phone, but not having the courage to call, she scrolled down her short contact list until she reached "Lex", taking a deep breath, with butterflies squirming in her stomach, she began to type:

_Hey Lex, It's Clara, I seem to remember promising you a town tour? How about today, if you are free? Feel free to say no if you're busy. _

Clara rewrote the text over 10 times before settling on those sentences, and spent a further 5 minutes contemplating the "send" button. Finally, she scrunched up her eyes and hit it. She sat in her fortress, on the seat by the window with her leg jiggling nervously and almost fell off when a minute later her phone buzzed. Clara fumbled with it, careful not to crush it by accident, to open the message, her heart was pounding.

_From: Lex_

_Hello my favourite farm girl. I do remember that promise and I am very available today. Shall I pick you up in half an hour? You can tell me all about your birthday; in fact, I believe I may have a present for you. We can have lunch in town before you give me the grand tour. Does that sound good to you? Lex. _

Clara rushed to send her reply.

_To: Lex_

_Great! I'll see you soon! Clara_

Clara contemplated adding an "x" to the end of the text, but she wasn't brave enough. She wasn't expecting the reply.

_From: Lex_

_I look forward to it x _

He added an "x", what did that mean? Was it just a friendly "x" or a more than friendly "x"?

Clara looked down at herself; she was wearing her most comfortable jeans, frayed and faded, and a rather worn looking white t-shirt. This was alright for editing The Torch in her living room, or doing the chores, like she had in them this morning, but not for public consumption! Checking the clock, she saw she had 25 minutes before Lex arrive, and zoomed from the barn into the house, up the stair to her room.

Clara rooted through her closet to the very back until she found her newest pair of jeans, dark blue and fitting, she usually liked them once they'd been broken in a bit more, but these were her best looking pair. She sped them on then looked at her available sweaters and t-shirts, deciding on a blue scoop neck that showed off her "El" symbol. Clara always felt like she was being watched over with the necklace on, by a warm force. It was silly really, in effect it was like having your surname as a necklace.

Realising the weather was fairly chilled by human standards she grabbed her new jacket, it contrasted nicely with the blue shirt.

She went to the barn to wait; it had a good view of the driveway. It seemed like an eternity before he came.

Lex Luthor pulled up in the Kent driveway in an exceedingly good mood. The plant was beginning to move into the black, his father hadn't interfered for over a month and he was about to spend a relaxing day with someone he genuinely wanted to. No meetings, no sales talks, no scheming to stay afloat, just a guy spending the day with a friend.

Lex didn't get to do that very often. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he'd done that, not since Duncan...those days had been overshadowed by Queen and his goons, they had contributed to Duncan's accident.

Lex looked up and could have sworn he saw Clara in her barn window, but then he saw her walking up to him from the barn door, no one could move that fast. Still, he'd add it to the list.

Lex saw Martha Kent looking out the house door way and waved as he got out, she waved back and went inside. Martha reminded him of his own mother Lillian; they had the same fiery hair and sweet disposition. Lex wondered, if his father had been more like Jonathan Kent, if his mother would still be alive today. He'd never forgive his father for the neglect Lillian Luthor had suffered. Although Jonathan Kent intimidated him due to his sheer moral will and strength of character, he was glad Clara had such a good father. Clara had gotten very lucky with her adoptive parents; he wondered if she knew who her biological ones were. If she wanted to know at all...perhaps he'd look into it, just to see if he could get anywhere, before telling Clara, just in case it didn't pan out. She may not want to know at all.

Clara had reached him and pulled him into a hug, Lex indulged in it, the sweet and earnest show of affection that he had been so devoid of since his mother's death, and allowed himself to bask in Clara's warmth. She always gave of radiating warmth, like she was absorbing the sun. Everything about the Kent family was warm and bright. His own upbringing had been cold, demanding and often dark.

Clara was a ray of sunlight in a dark world.

Now he was getting poetic, this wasn't a good sign.

They pulled apart after what felt like seconds.

"Good morning Clara, ready to show the city mouse how the country mouse lives?"

"Ah, I'm sure it's not all that different in Smallville to Metropolis, but is it true you have buildings taller than trees and metal tubes that run on rails?"

Lex smirked at her jest and walked with Clara over to the passenger side, opening the door for her to get in. Clara seemed surprised by the chivalry but didn't comment. He closed the door behind her and walked back to his side.

Reversing and driving out the gate he glanced at her new jacket.

"So, did you get the jacket for your birthday? The colour suits you."

"Yeah, my parents gave it to me. I love it."

"So, how was yesterday, anything exciting happen."

Clara looked pensive for a moment, which Lex saw through his front mirror.

"Yeah, actually, my Grandfather, William Clark, my mum's dad, came to dinner. I haven't seen him since I was really little. He and my Dad don't get along. He's owns a law firm in Metropolis."

"Clark and Co? I've heard of them, he's a big shark in the law field. I didn't know you were related."

"Yeah, my Mum was studying Law, to take over the business, when she met my Dad. She decided to marry him instead, my Grandfather never approved. That wasn't what he had planned for her."

Lex frowned a little, he couldn't imagine anyone objecting to the union of Jonathan and Martha Kent, theirs was the most solid and happy marriage he had ever seen. Still, Martha was a strong woman, he could see her defending something she believed in to a jury. It was strange, the path life led you down, he could never have imagined liking living in a town like Smallville, or that his best friend would be an 18 year old farm girl...or that he would want to be more than that, in time.

"I can understand plans; my father has one for me, and is very clear when I am diverging from it. I've been groomed to be a business tycoon all my life, I can't imagine he'd be pleased if I gave it all up and became a farmer."

Clara smiled.

"I dunno, I think you'd look good in plaid, I don't think I've ever seen you in anything that wasn't smart casual. I need to get you a little mussed."

Clara blushed; her sentence had come out before her mind processed it. Lex, thankfully didn't say anything to highlight it.

"In fact, I have donned overalls before."

"Really? When?"

"When I was younger, when my mother was still alive, in the summer we used to go to my father's ranch in Montana. We worked alongside the regular ranchers, everyone did their fair share, we baled hay, mucked out, cared for the cattle and horses. I loved those days with her, my father hardly ever came, he didn't like the country, but when he did all he would do was criticise everything we did. Luthor's shouldn't be farm hands, Luthor's shouldn't get dirty. After my mother died he sold it."

Clara looked over at him; Lex's eyes were on the road and looked slightly dulled.

"I think it's good, that you have memories of your time with her. Maybe one day you can do the same with your own family."

"Maybe, someday."

Lex's lips tilted upwards minutely.

"Still" Clara continued "I'll keep in mind your ranching skills, in case you ever need a job. I'm sure we could find you something at the farm, although, we'd have to start you off simple, but trust me, I'm a fair boss."

Lex's lips pulled into a full smirk; he quite liked the idea of Clara in the hay loft, stray strands of gold in her hair, bossing him around.

"I'll keep it under advisement, should I want to change careers. So, how did the visit with your Grandfather go? Did he give you something nice?"

"Well...he did give me something, I don't know if you'd call it nice, but it is important to my future."

Lex glanced at Clara in the mirror, she looked embarrassed.

"What's wrong? He didn't buy you a truck did he?"

Clara smiled a little, still looking embarrassed.

"He gave me a bank account."

Lex nodded "Well a bank account is a wise investment, what's wrong with that."

"It has $500,000 in it."

Lex swerved slightly on the road, luckily there was no one around for miles. He let there be a pause.

"You're not happy about it?"

"Oh I am, it's so generous, it means I can go to college, any one I want to, without being a burden on my parents, even my Dad said it was okay to take it, and I'm going to be accompanying my Grandfather to some of his business events and be his note taker in court during the holidays. But still..."

Lex understood.

"It's a big responsibility, having money. I grew up with it, not realising how important and unimportant it can be. Until I met Duncan, he was a scholarship student at Excelsior, his parents were manual labourers, and that school was his shot to an extraordinary life. But everyone else treated him like dirt. Because they had it easy, they treated someone with far more character badly. People treat you differently, when you don't have money, or when you do. I think I know what you're worried about."

Clara looked over as Lex talked.

"You think that this money will change you, that you won't remember what really matters, the true value of things in life. But I think I know some things about you now, I don't think that could ever happen to you. You are one of the few truly generous and good people I have met in this world, and I've seen a lot of it. So you're going to have it easier than most people, that doesn't change who you are, in fact, it'll probably give you more time to make even more of a difference. To save the world with the Kent charm and sense of morality. I think you'll be just fine Clara, and even if you aren't you'll have people around you to remind you who you are."

Clara felt better, after Lex said that. He had cut right down to her dilemma. Money changes people, she was determined not to change.

After another 5 minutes they reached town and Clara started showing Lex the sights. They saw the department store, the various cafés and nick nack shops, Mr Bray's Ice cream shop, and then they took a break for lunch at Clara's favourite sandwich place. Lex did a good job of ignoring the looks he got from some of the towns people.

"So, I believe it is present time."

Lex pulled out an envelope, and for a minute Clara flashed back to her Grandfather the day before. Lex must have seen her face because he laughed and said:

"Don't worry, it's not a bank account but I hope you'll like it all the same."

Clara opened it and pulled out two Metropolis Sharks tickets, they were for a private booth.

"Sharks tickets, really? That's awesome! You didn't have to do that!"

"Well, it just so happens my father owns them and we have a private booth, it's got a great view and they lay out a buffet for me whenever I go. I'm letting you and your father use it whenever you like, they're season tickets. Happy belated Birthday Clara."

Clara reached over the table to hug Lex and they chatted amiably about football teams and scores.

After lunch, they walked on, passing the movie theatre with its "FORECLOSED" sign.

"It's a real shame, that they have to close down, but I guess there's no real call for a big movie theatre in a small town like this. Everyone will just have to go to Metropolis to see a movie. But, it'll be sad to see it empty, somebody should do something with it, it's a beautiful building, art deco."

Lex looked at it appraisingly.

"What would you do with it?"

Clara looked a little surprised to have been asked. She mulled it over.

"Well, there isn't really anywhere in Smallville for young people to hang out, I saw in Metropolis that they had those coffee bars everywhere, with coaches and chairs, and people stay in there for hours. I think we need something like that, right now we don't have a purpose built coffee house, if you want coffee you get some at one of the sandwich bars or restaurants. There's a whole corner of the community that don't really get catered to outside of school."

"You sound like you've thought about this."

"Chloe and I have just complained about the lack of chill out spaces around here, especially when it gets cold. Sometimes it's just nice to get a hot drink and sit down; just yesterday Chloe and I had to ask Mrs Jordan at the sandwich shop for cups to take our coffee away in. She looked at us like we were nuts, she had to dig out some Styrofoam cups from the back; they'd probably been in Smallville longer than I have. Smallville needs to move with the times, at least a little, or all the young people will leave."

Lex nodded and they continued on, passing the Episcopalian church, which was letting out for the day, the occupants in their hats and formal clothes, the town square with the town hall and clock, and Nell's flower shop.

"I guess the tour is fairly short, we don't have a lot in the way of an actual town. Everything here is based around agriculture. The kids play in the fields, the teenagers drink in them, and the adults work in them."

"No, I like it, you have a community here, people know each other. In Metropolis, you may live next to someone for years and never know their name and if you smile at a stranger you're considered unstable. It's refreshing to be in a place where you can wave and someone will respond, or ask for help and get it. Or, where someone will risk their life for a perfect stranger."

"Are you always going to bring that up?"

"For as long as I live. You know, in the olden days, they used to say if you saved a man's life he owed you a debt, his life belonged to you."

"Well, you rescued me from the Scarecrow so I think we're even."

"Not even close, you didn't just save my life that day, you changed it. When I woke up, with you over me, it was like I'd been given a second chance. Like, because you'd saved my life I needed to do something worthwhile with it. Before the accident, my life was all about scheming, self indulgence, money, the Luthor Legacy. Now, I'm doing something worthwhile, I'm rebuilding a business from the ground up, one that provides jobs for a community that needs them. It feels good, to put my money towards something important. Something I can see affecting the people I'm beginning to know. And it's all because of you."

Clara was glad Smallville was having a positive effect on Lex, but didn't really believe it had much to do with her.

"Well" Clara said, as they reached the tiny Sheriff's station, "Thus concludes out tour, maybe next weekend, you could give me a tour of your house? I'd like to get a look at that Warrior Angel collection."

"I think that's a great idea."

Just then, Lex's phone began to ring.

"Lex...can't it wait until tomorrow? Yes, fine, I'll be right there."

Lex flipped closed the phone and looked apologetic.

"Guess I'll have to take a rain check on that tour of the mansion, there's a slight crisis at the factory concerning some equipment thefts."

"No, it's fine; it just means I have something to look forward to next weekend."

"Come on I'll give you a ride home, it's on the way"

Clara hoped nothing important had been taken.

Even if it had been short, it had been a good day.

...

Genevieve Teague sat at her desk, looking at the surveillance photographs on her blackberry. She had tracked the object she wanted to Lionel Luthor, but when his home had been searched, nothing had been found. Dr Swann had politely declined to see her, but he was more interested in stars than relics. The Queens were long dead, Lionel had to have it. If not at his own home then where? Scrolling through, she found some images of Lionel not in Metropolis, but in a small town, Smallville...Smallville, that was where the meteor shower had been. What was Lionel doing in Smallville? The dates said several weeks ago. More images flicked through, ah, the ostentatious castle he'd been so proud of, Lionel had dragged the members of Veritas there 15 years ago, another grandiose show of his power. The boy, his son, Lex, lived there now, banished apparently. Lionel had never been one for paternal affection, not like the connection she had with her Jason. He must have hidden it there. It would have to be retrieved; the Teague's needed the power. But, it would need to be investigated first, subtly. More photos flicked by, of Lex with a beautiful young girl at a football game...

It was decided, she dialled the number.

"Sweetheart, Mummy had a job for you."

**Author's Note: Thanks for reading, please review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I don't own DC, Marvel, or historical events. **

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the Reviews! For people who may need the clarification between the DC and Marvel Universes for some comments that I use in the chapter, here is a refresher. Veterans, please bear with me.**

**DC consists of the Justice League and many other characters but is most easily identified by Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and The Green Lanterns by most people. **

**Marvel consists of The Avengers, The X-Men, Spiderman, The Fantastic Four and hundreds of other heroes. **

**The two universes are completely separate apart from a few AU crossovers that are not usually considered canon. So, for the purpose of having fun with the story, in the Smallville universe Marvel is fictional, and as this story is set chronologically in the 2004-5 school year, I'm going to use real Historical Events. **

**Hope that answers any questions before they happen, I hate to be a universe snob but I hate it when people mix up DC and Marvel, so if anyone had asked me how there could be a Fantastic Four film if they were in operation then I would have been deeply sad lol Marvel and DC are so different to me, although usually I'm much more of a Marvel comic nut, you gotta love The Justice League, Superman and Batman!**

Chapter 14

The week had passed fairly quickly for Smallville High, but it was abuzz with activity. Students were still talking about the big Crows victory against the Topeka Trojans, the approaching Halloween festivities had instigated discussions over costumes, and as Friday loomed, botched repairs and parental spats broke out all over the school.

Kevan the flour baby had been doing well, still bright eyed and with his innards intact. On Wednesday morning Chloe and Clara were witness to Kyle Richards and Janice Kinnicky arguing about their floury offspring. Apparently Kyle had not been taking care of his fatherly responsibilities and Janice coddled "Ricky" too much. If Ricky weren't a flour baby they would have been mirroring an argument that had occurred for centuries. Clara was glad they were putting so much effort into their Science project, but at the same time felt like she was watching an episode of Jerry Springer. She could just imagine Kyle and Janice on a stage, sitting on couches on opposite ends and spilling their guts to strangers. Mr Henshaw, their homeroom teacher, was just about to intervene as Janice's voice raised several decibels at the mention of her "Hormones" when thankfully the bell and rung for the first class.

Thursday saw a very agitated Whitney trying to illicit physical affection from a reluctant Lucas. It was American Literature, and Mr Whitman was out sick, seeing as they were seniors, Principal Kwan had said he trusted the to study on their own, but that if anything suspicious was heard then Mr Burley, the stern Geography teacher, would be called in. Chloe and Clara were already familiar with the assigned book, _To Kill a Mocking Bird_, it was Clara's favourite. Clara was enjoying re-reading through Chapter 5 when she heard the whispers from Lucas and Whitney's table.

"Why are you being such a girl! Aren't guys supposed to be eager to do it? We've been together for three years now and we've never gotten close! I'm a woman Lucas, I have needs! You won't even make out with me in public people anymore! People will think something is wrong with me?"

Lucas looked at her uncertainly, his body language was defensive and he was sitting at a notable distance away from Whitney.

"We've only just turned 18; we don't need to rush into anything. I thought you liked the fact I'm not pushy. Now's not the time..."

"Then when Lucas? You barely kiss me anymore! I'm sorry I lost your ring _okay_! But you can't keep punishing me for it!"

"This isn't about the ring, this is about us. I don't think that...consummating our relationship is what we need right now. You're doing more hours at work, we have our respective teams, I'm helping my Aunt Nell with the Halloween Pumpkin shipments. If the flour baby has taught us anything it's that we're not ready to be in a more physical relationship right now."

Whitney was pale, and looked stricken.

"You're not telling me something, there's someone else isn't there, you've been distant all week! It's Kent isn't it?"

"Clara? No, she's a sweet girl but I barely ever talk to her, I don't know where you get these ideas. If you can't be sensible then that only confirms we're not ready yet."

Lucas stood, pushing their flour baby towards Whitney. He spoke normally now, so anyone could hear.

"I'm going to Assistant-Coach Teague's Office; he wanted to talk to me about some plays. I've read this scene, I know how it ends."

Lucas grabbed his bag and walked out of American Literature with half an hour to go. He left a fuming Whitney who was ringing her hands, and if Clara didn't know better she would say she was anxious, even scared, rather than mad. Clara felt guilty for eaves dropping, but when someone was this close it was very hard not to, she could shut off her long range hearing well enough now, but close up was a different matter.

At the mention of an Assistant Coach Clara was puzzled and turned to Chloe.

"Did they hire a new Assistant Coach? I didn't hear about it!"

"Yeah he came on Monday, he's from Metropolis. His name's Jason Teague, from _The_ Teagues, the billionaires. He was a star football player at CKU and set for a career in the Metro-Sharks when he blew his rotator cuff. Now he coaches, but he's very sought after. I have no idea how we can afford him."

"Huh, I thought I would have noticed someone new."

"Well you don't exactly hand round the Football field, you can meet him if you like, I'm meant to be interviewing him for Monday's edition. Between you and me, I think Coach Arnold is pretty peeved they hired him."

"Really? Why?"

"Well, after the game on Friday I saw Principal Kwan pull Coach Arnold aside, they looked like they were having an argument. You'd think after the win we had he'd have been happy, but then, fresh on Tuesday, Jason Teague turns up to "Assist" Coach Arnold, but even I can see there's tension. What I don't know is what he's done to deserve Kwan sending in someone new. I'll have to do some digging. I think Coach Arnold is afraid he's being replaced by a younger model; Jason Teague is fit, 25 and full of new ideas. Also, it doesn't hurt that he's devastatingly handsome. He can actually run the drills with the team, he's only 7 years older than they are, and he was popular from the off."

"I'd like to see this wonder boy; he seems to have made an impression on you!"

"He's just a good looking older guy; he'd turn anyone's head. Just you wait and see. I know you have an eye for billionaires, but remember, this one's forbidden fruit, being a teacher and all. Unless you have a hidden Dark Side I don't know about?"

Clara gave her a reproachful look, but that made her think of Lex, they'd had a great time at the weekend, and exchanged a few texts since, and it was settled that she would visit the mansion this weekend to see his Warrior Angel Collection. Her enthusiastic response wasn't only from the chance to see a first edition; she always had fun with Lex. It seemed that he had fun with her too, but it was probably only in a friendly way. She was a little worried about him; he hadn't mentioned the break in that had cut short their dat...outing.

Friday saw the beginnings of flour baby panic, students were beginning to compare their offspring and realise that some were clearly subpar. Judy Mickens had realised that inserting hair extensions had been a bad idea, at first they had been fine, but over the past two weeks they had gradually torn at the paper of the bag until now there were gaping holes that spilled the innards out, Chris Geller, her partner, was not impressed. Chloe and Clara were fairly smug that their flour baby was perfectly cared for, still pristine white, all edges and paper accounted for and still the same weight.

Whitney and Lucas's was in similar perfect condition, but it looked like Lucas had taken more responsibility than she had. Clara supposed Lucas was used to caring for things, working in his Aunt's flower shop and Green House. They still sat at an awkward distance away from each other, their forlorn but pristine packet acting as an effective barrier, but at the same time uniting them to a common cause. Clara supposed if he's been real, that packet of flour might have been considered a bandage baby, he was the only reason the two had talked for the last 2 days. It hadn't gone unnoticed either; it was already in the rumour mill that "Langman" were on the outs. It was compounded by people insisting that Lucas was cheating on Whitney with another girl, although as of yet there was no indication one existed. It was definitely giving Smallville High something else other than the Braniston – Brangelina scandal to talk about.

Clara didn't think it was polite to talk about other people's relationships, especially when they were having problems. It was hurtful and only bound to make things worse in the end.

Clara looked over to the empty chair where Pete used to sit. They'd exchanged a few e-mails since he left, but not many, she wondered whether his new school in Metropolis were doing the flour baby assignment, if he'd made any new friends. It was still strange for him not to be around, but at the same time strangely freeing, she didn't have to lie when it was just she and Chloe. Pete had probably sensed that something had changed between Clara and Chloe, some secret he was not privy too. Clara often guiltily thought that was part of the reason he'd left without seeing them.

The bell rang, and it was the moment of truth. Clara scooped up Kevan and Chloe grabbed the baby diary, documenting the feedings, trips and who cared for him when.

Mr Banner was impressed with Chloe and Clara's baby and Clara felt somewhat distraught when he was taken away. It felt strange that she wouldn't be taking him home, she'd gotten used to the routine, even if he was an inanimate object. She supposed it was similar to how she had felt about her bunny, Clark; she'd always been able to develop strong attachments to people and objects. In a way, Clara thought this must be 1/1,000,000 of the emotion her parents had felt when they sent her into space, knowing they would never see her again. Chloe had seen the look on Clara's face and realised something was wrong, she took Clara's hand in hers, squeezing it as best she could. Chloe always knew the best thing to do.

Several other students seemed to be having similar attachment issues, but not Whitney; she practically threw the bag at Mr Banner, before glowering at Lucas, who did look a little sad to see it go. Clara supposed some people were natural parents, some had to work at it, and some should never be. Clara hoped Whitney just had to work at it, for her sake.

Clara had decided she wanted children in the future, with the right partner. Who that would be, she couldn't say. Yet, she couldn't get the image of Lex with a little red headed boy in his arms, swinging him round like he was an airplane, out of her head. That had always been Clara's favourite game, her father would lift her over his head and she would pretend to fly, even though she had always suffered from vertigo, in her father's arms she felt invincible. Perhaps Lex would have a little boy one day, one with bright red hair, maybe they would play airplane too, but it would not have anything to do with her. She'd simply be an observer, maybe a friendly Aunt.

Whoever the hypothetical mother would be, she would be truly blessed. But it would never be Clara, she decided, she might not even be able to have children.

Chloe patted her arm for the end of class and Clara picked up her things, instinctively reaching for Kevan, then remembering he wouldn't be coming.

"Cheer-up Clara, you're meeting CJ soon (The moniker the Crows had adopted for their new Coach Jason) later for our paper interview at practice, some rippling biceps might brighten your day!"

That was true; Clara had been hearing nothing but good things about Jason Teague, new Coach, all week. Words of awe and machismo from the guys and admiring tittering and giggling from the girls. But then, there wasn't much young blood in the Smallville High Faculty, it could all be blown out of proportion.

Clara soon found out it wasn't.

...

Lex sat at his desk, not the one in his mansion but the decidedly humbler one at the factory. It was rare he was needed in the building, usually administrating things by phone and computer, but this week had called for more physical leadership. In front of him was the brand new computer, full of factory invoices, employee reports, and copies of the factories CCTV. This was what interested Lex, he had been very disgruntled at the interruption of his day with Clara, which had been the best he'd had in years. There had been a break in on Saturday evening, but what puzzled Lex was the nature of the thefts. They were random pieces of equipment, none of them of overwhelming value and combined they could not be at all useful.

It was almost as if the equipment was not the primary goal, it was a cover for something else. This was a creamed corn factory, there was no cash on premises, the equipment of true value was brand new but bolted down and there were no signs it had been tampered with. The office lock had been though, and so had the safe. The thieves would have been disappointed, the safe had already been emptied by his father, and the contents removed to his own home or to the mansion safe. Lex had explored that vault; it was filled with curiosities, some different geological crystals, the green meteor rock, some in red and blue he had never seen before, and one that was clear and looked artificially shaped. Lex had been wary of the green; it was partly responsible for the removal of his hair. It seemed careless of Lionel's part to leave anything behind, but then again, maybe he had wanted Lex to identify the objects himself, another one of his "tests".

The CCTV was not very illuminating; a group of average sized men entered, kept to the shadows and made off with equipment after they had broken a window. Yet, they kept to the blind spots of the cameras a little too easily, as if they knew where they were in advance. It was possible this was an inside job; the CCTV had been upgraded when Lex took over, more cameras were added and the old moved to more prime positions, so it had to be a present employee, or the CCTV installation company who had participated or informed. There were three of them, one look out, and two snatchers. Average build, balaclavas and black attire, but while they worked well together they did not appear to have training. The entry had not been graceful, a brick to a window, but they had presence of mind not to leave forensic evidence behind. The safe had been blown, not hacked, yet it was a key pad. They couldn't have found what they wanted, the safe was empty.

Lex mused over the video, they didn't find what they wanted, but if it was something of his father's, they may go looking elsewhere, he'd up security at the mansion.

Lex's phone vibrated and he opened the screen.

_To: Lex_

_Hey, are we still on for our Warrior-Geek day on Sunday? Do you need me to bring anything?_

_Clara _

Lex felt the familiar rush of relaxation he associated with Clara as he read, even when she wasn't present the very thought of her made him de-stress.

_To: Clara_

_Most definitely. You need only bring yourself, but I wouldn't say no to one of your Apple Pies. Also, I may or may not have gotten hold of the Fantastic Four Movie before its general release; we could always make a day of it. I do happen to have a home theatre and a popcorn machine. What do you say?" _

_To: Lex_

"_Really? You can do that? Awesome! I'll see you at 12? You don't need to pick me up, I'll ride my bicycle." _

_To: Clara_

"_12 sounds great, we can have lunch at the mansion. I'll see you then my Geeky Farm Girl x P.S. Does your bike have a wicker basket on the front?"_

_To Lex: _

"_Of course, where else would I put that Apple Pie? See you then!" _

Lex smirked at his read this, yet another country cliché, but it just seemed so Clara. Sunday would be interesting.

...

Clara smiled as she finished texting Lex, Chloe was giving her a knowing grin, so she embarrassedly slipped her phone back into her bag. She'd never used it as much as she had since she met Lex.

The grunts and shouts of the football team could be heard from the field, Chloe and Clara had seated themselves on the bleachers by the sidelines, to take some pictures of practice, when Coach Teague had come over to meet them.

Clara saw him approach and felt her eyes begin to heat up; she pinched herself on the arm.

He was beautiful, if you could call a man beautiful. Tall, around 6ft, tan, well muscled, and wearing a red Crows polo and shorts, showing off his well muscled athlete's legs. His wells muscled arms held a clip-board, and he wore a whistle around his neck. His face was very well put together, a well defined jaw, with soft looking pink lips, almost too plump to be masculine, a strong aquiline nose, hazel green eyes and short hair that was a mixture of honey blond and Pale brown. He was every teenage girl's fantasy, and he was walking right at them.

His voice made it worse, it was deep, yet playful, and addressed them cheerfully.

"Good Evening Ladies! So you must be the intrepid reporters from The Torch? From what I've read, Miss Chloe Sullivan and Miss Clara Kent? I loved your piece on the quality of school food attributing to academic and sports performance, it's very insightful. I've already pulled the guys off the cafeteria food onto more regulated diets.

"Thanks a lot Sir; Chloe and Clara is just fine."

"Please I'm not old enough to be Sir yet, Coach or CJ is fine. So what did you want the interview on?"

Clara regained her voice.

"We wanted to know your opinion on being called in after the first game, and what you hope to add to the Coaching staff..."

The interview progressed as normal, and the more Jason talked the more comfortable Clara grew around him. He had an easy earnest manner, he was definitely a people person, and he talked with great passion when it came to Football. Coach Arnold looked pleased to see Jason distracted, and was yelling at the players to grapple with each other, running through drills. The interview progressed and the sun began to go down, indicating the approach of evening, it was nearly 6pm. The Flood lights turned on and Coach Arnold called time.

"_Assistant_ Coach Teague! If you're not too busy flirting with teenage girls we have some clearing up to do!"

Jason Teague gave a withering look over to the field, and apologised.

"Sorry Chloe, Clara, looks like the "Boss" has summoned me. He's been eating a lot of sour grapes lately and they haven't improved his mood. Technically, I'm Co-Coaching with him, but he insists on calling me "Assistant Coach" Teague. The man needs to learn to chill out. I hope you got what you needed ladies."

He nodded to them both and ran across the field with ease to reach the huddle.

"So, what do you think?"

Clara looked on at him and answered.

"Coach Teague seems like a really nice guy, he'll be good for the team. He seems pretty work oriented; it'll break the Cheerleading squad's hearts."

"So, not going to shift your flame from the Luthor Torch to Teague?"

Clara looked at Chloe in surprise and was slightly affronted.

"If there was a Torch, which I'm not saying there is, because there's not, then the "flame" is staying where it is. My Mum once told me, it's okay to look at the dress in the window, it doesn't mean you have to buy it. He seems like a great guy, but that's it. I'm the loyal type, that is, if I have someone to be loyal to, which I'm not saying I do."

"Fair enough, that's a very mature attitude towards a relationship that is "hypothetical". I hope your "nonexistent" flame knows how loyal you are. Maybe you could show him at your geek fest?"

Clara knew better than to argue with Chloe, she was determined to get Clara to confess her feelings to Lex. She'd always been a woman of action, but Clara was more cautious. What if it ruined their friendship? Would Lex ever want to talk to her again? Would he laugh it off as puppy love? Not that it was love, not yet, but she felt very strongly when she was around him.

"Chlo, leave it, please? Anyway, you need to go type up those notes and I have to go help Mum with dinner."

"Sure, but sooner or later you have to let your light shine otherwise you guy will never find you."

Chloe hugged Clara, and as Clara stood, she noticed that the clipboard Coach Teague was using was still on the bleachers. Looking out to the field she saw that the team had gone to the changing room, Coach Arnold was walking back from the direction of the school and parking lot, that was funny, Clara hadn't seen him leave. After asking a straggling Footballer where Coach Teague was he said CJ was going to his car. Clara decided to follow him.

The parking lot was deserted apart from a few straggling cars, probably football players and marching band at this time. Clara saw Jason standing next to his car with the door open, putting his sports bag inside.

"Coach Teague, you forgot your clipboard!"

Jason Teague looked up, raised a hand in recognition, and started walking towards Clara, at that moment, his car spontaneously set alight, the shockwave knocking him onto his front. The blaze increased and Jason wasn't moving, Clara ran quickly, but not at full speed because they were gaining an audience, and turned Jason over, dragging him in a feigned laborious way across the asphalt. Once at a safe distance across the parking lot, hidden behind a truck, she crouched over Jason as the area was lit up by the explosion of the gas tank, sending debris across the yard. Clara held her hand under Jason's nose, he was breathing, and she shook him an called his name until he opened his eyes.

"Coach Teague, are you alright, do you know where you are?"

"Clara..what?"

Jason sat up quickly, giving himself a head rush, before standing unsteadily against the truck. He looked over the truck bed in disbelief at the blaze.

"What the..? Clara, if you hadn't called me over, I would have been in that car. I must have gotten knocked out, how did you get me over here?"

"I'm a farm girl Coach Teague; I've baled hay since I was 12. Are you feeling alight?"

"I'm good, thanks; I think you've earned the right to call me Jason. It seems you've saved me twice today, once by accident and the second deliberately within the space of 5 minutes. From what I hear, you did the same for Lex, you seem to be making a career out of rescuing people."

Clara shook her head in disagreement but they both looked at the blaze, puzzled at its emergence. A crowd was gathering made out of Footballers and after school activity stragglers, their phones were calling the fire department and taking pictures and video.

Someone had tried to kill Jason Teague tonight; but how and why?

**Author's Note: Thanks for Reading, please review! **


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I don't own DC or Marvel!**

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews, here is Lex and Clara's Geek day! Please no spam in the reviews section about The Fantastic Four film! **

Chapter 15

_Clara lay on the cold, crisp grass, the blades prickled at her skin, almost making her ticklish. The sky was clear above, not a cloud dared to cross the crystal blue, but the sun did nothing to diminish the chill that clung to the air. Clara heard footsteps crunching in the distance, and sat up; suddenly realising she wasn't in her front yard, but on the dirt road next to Riley Field. Clara stood up and vaguely noticed she was wearing a white knee length dress and no shoes, that was odd. Rustling came from the corn stalks and she looked up from her skirt to catch a glimpse of a bald man in a white suit walking into the sea of gold. _

"_Lex?" _

_Clara heard the harsh call of a crow echoing into the distance and it flew after Lex into the field. Clara followed, dirt road gave way to earth and fallen chaff, her hands brushed away stray stalks as they caught in her hair and tickled her shoulders. She walked for what seemed like miles until she glimpsed Lex's white suit again in the distance and sped up, she couldn't seem to catch up, even at full speed, he was always a little ahead of her. She heard a clap of thunder and the sky above was no longer blue, but tumultuous. Clara glimpsed Lex leaving the path, she followed pushing the stalks aside..._

_Clara walked out onto the roof of the Daily Planet, the door closing behind her on the rural scene. She didn't feel the cold of cement, her feet were covered, she glanced down, and she wasn't wearing a dress, she had red boots on, and her legs were clad in blue. Clara walked further into the roof area, seeing no sign of Lex, the breeze fluttered something behind her, causing it to tug on her shoulder and flap. Clara looked out on the magnificence of Metropolis, the orange and pinks of sunset glistening of the metal and glass of the buildings. The door behind her opened and closed with a slam and Clara turned, a swathe of material folding round her until it caught the wind, flying behind her again. Lex stood before her in a white tailored suit, his hands reaching out in supplication._

"_Clara, my Super Woman, who'd have thought when you saved me so many years ago that the next part of our journey would start here? Not in Smallville, but the splendour of Metropolis. Since the day you revealed all of yourself to me, I have tried to think of a way to repay your years of friendship, of loyalty, and of incalculable kindness. I've come to realise, that there is nothing I can do, nothing but to offer you the only thing I have that truly matters." _

_Lex took her left hand and bent on one knee; he reached into a pocket and pulled out a blue box. He flicked it open to reveal a sparking ring. _

"_Clara Jessica Kent, Kala-El of Krypton, I have loved you since the moment you breathed life into me, since that day I have belonged to you. Will you do me the great honour, of making me an honest man? Will you ma.."_

_Clara heard a screeching sound and suddenly she was flying away from Lex, away from Metropolis, she was in the sky of Smallville..._

Clara woke to find herself hovering over her bed, the alarm blaring, and then suddenly she was falling and landed on it, causing the mattress to give way with an almighty squeak.

Floating again, that was interesting. That had been a very surreal dream, but at the same time, Clara felt very sorry Lex hadn't finished his sentence.

Speaking of Lex, what day was it? A thrill went through Clara as she scrabbled for her clock, turning off the alarm and checking the date, Sunday 19th October, it was her Comic Book day with Lex!

Maybe that's why she'd had such a strange dream, she'd been reading Warrior Angel before going to bed, had she been wearing the Warrior Angel costume in the dream? She thought she remembered a cape...

But the dream was fading now, and by the time she had washed and dressed and done her chores Clara had forgotten most of it. She was too excited about her waking day with Lex, to dwell on her dreamed one.

Clara finished her chores by 10am, giving herself plenty of time to bake her Apple pie. Clara found herself taking extra time with it, making sure the apples slices were the right size, that the crust was perfectly shaped and crimped, and that it was baked until nicely golden brown.

Martha Kent walked through the kitchen several times through the process, smiling to herself at Clara's determined expression. She remembered her early dates with Jonathan, inviting him back to her Metropolis apartment and trying to cook him a meal. She hadn't always been a homemaker, it had taken time and work. She'd been so worried she couldn't compete with Jonathan's mother, Jessica, in the cooking department that she'd attempted to bake and cook for him as often as possible. She supposed she was trying to prove she was capable. It may seem archaic but Martha remembered being desperate to prove she could be a good wife, to cook and raise a family. For the daughter of a big city lawyer, cooking and child care were foreign, but at the same time, felt so right to her.

Now, watching Clara, it seemed she had something to prove too. Clara had never taken this much care over one pie, she'd made dozens of them every week since she was 12, and had begun to help Martha with the baking stall. But, this one Clara planned to share with Lex Luthor, a man that Clara was definitely interested in, even if she wouldn't admit it yet. A mother knows, and Martha knew that Clara was definitely harbouring feelings for the Luthor boy. He seemed like a well educated young man, sophisticated, charismatic and so very different to the men Clara had grown up around. Martha had witnessed Clara's younger forays into love, her girl-hood crush on Lucas Lang, a nice country boy, but at the same time, ambitious for something more. Lucas was a wonderful young man, but Martha had gotten the impression that he and Clara were not meant to be, and if she was right, neither were he and the Fordman girl. Martha was actually thankful that Clara had not developed deeper feelings for the Lang boy, her destiny was not to stand in someone's shadow, she was meant to shine.

But still, Lex Luthor, their dealings with his father had been both fortuitous and disastrous. Yet, he had rescued Clara from Riley field, and kept her confidence, even if it meant lying to her parents, which wouldn't endear him to them. Lex cared what Clara thought, and not anyone else. That she could respect him for, even if she didn't agree with it. Still, he was far more worldly than Clara, and around 7 years older. Martha, like any parent, didn't want Clara to wind up hurt, and at the same time, she didn't want to stop her from living her life. So she would be there for her daughter, she wouldn't interfere, but it wouldn't stop her from worrying. Martha smiled as her daughter saw her and continued to the kitchen door, she still had work to do.

Clara pulled the final product out of the oven with her bare hands; the heat couldn't hurt her, and she began examining the crust. It was nicely browned, and billowing steam was rising from the slats, revealing the bubbling apple within. It was perfect.

Clara left it to cool on the side, she had half an hour before she had to go, and assembled a pie box emblazoned with "Kent Farm Confections" on the front. Looking down at herself, she saw she had flour all over her apron and some of her jeans. She would need to change. Clara ran upstairs and put on clean jeans, a dark blue sweater and her red leather jacket. She examined her hair, waist length and dark, and the wavy locks that curled at the end, she grabbed her hair tie and pulled back the front, she couldn't have it completely free on her bike.

Clara trundled down the stairs, causing the old wood to creak under her, and placed the cooling pie into the prepared box, tying it up with string. She gingerly picked it up and made her way outside to her bike. She had cleaned it last night, oiled the gears and made sure it was serviceable; she often ran everywhere, so it didn't get as much use as it should have. The wicker basket that had so amused Lex was on the front, and Clara placed her precious cargo inside, thankful that it was deep and wide enough to hold the box with no chance of it falling out. Clara sometimes did cake and pie deliveries to their older customers who couldn't get to the Farmer's Market or didn't have any family nearby.

Clara pushed her bike out of the property, off the rocky driveway and onto the dirt road before mounting and beginning to peddle. Clara deliberately took the better roads and tracks, making sure not to jolt the pie too much, which added 15 minutes onto her journey. Still, she arrived 5 minutes early; it was 11.55am when she buzzed the gates of the Luthor Mansion to be let in.

The Luthor Mansion security knew her by now, due to all the food deliveries, and Mr Sanderson, who was currently on duty, nodded at her as she went in. He was an austere man, in his 60's but Clara got the impression that in his younger days he was a formidable man, perhaps a body guard or a government agent. She still thought he could take someone down if needed. The Luthor's didn't skimp on personal security; Lex had once told her that every security employee had government, body guard or army backgrounds.

Clara parked her bike by the front door, knowing it wouldn't be going anywhere and retrieved the pie from its basket. The door opened without her having to knock, and one of Lex's staff, she thought his name was Stephan, showed her into the living room, where Lex was sitting at his desk, examining his laptop. Clara couldn't help but think the little crinkle in his brow as he examined the screen was very cute. The frown on his face melted away as he saw her, his whole body seemed to lose its harsh edges. His lips broke into a smile.

"Clara! Good afternoon, I'm glad you could make it, is that the pie? Stephan, why don't you take that down to the kitchens for Clara? We can have it after lunch, I hope you're hungry! Chef has made some homemade Pizza, all meat toppings, I hope you like it!"

"Oh I'm definitely a carnivore, it sounds great!"

Clara relinquished the pie to Stephan, thanking him as he walked out with it. Lex walked towards her and they hugged, and Clara revelled in the warmth before they let go.

"So, let's have lunch before we satisfy our Geek cravings, I've taken the rarest comics out of storage, they're over by the couch."

Stephan arrive again, carrying a platter that contained a large pizza, another employee who carried two plates and silverware and a third with glasses and a pitcher of fresh orange juice. They sat and ate, ignoring the cutlery in favour of using their hands, it was very relaxed. Clara was thankful Lex hadn't set up a dining table; it seemed he favoured using the coffee table by the couches to eat, it seemed so...normal. They talked about Kevan, about Warrior Angel, and as Clara's Pie was brought back in on plates, Clara's mind went to the events of Friday.

"Did you hear what happened on Friday? At school?"

"No I don't believe I did, what happened? Did the Lang kid and Whitney "break up"?"

"No, the new Assistant Coach, Coach Teague, was almost killed in a car explosion; I had to pull him away from the blaze..."

Clara explained about the interview, and the events that led up to her rescue of Jason.

"Teague...that wouldn't be _Jason_ Teague?"

Clara was shocked at Lex's recognition.

"Yeah...do you know him?"

"His parents Genevieve and Edward Teague and mine were part of the same social circles. We played together a few times growing up, the last time I saw him he was playing hide and seek with me, Patricia Swann and Oliver Queen. In fact, that was the day of the meteor shower, here in this house. Our parents were having a meeting of some sort."

Swann...Patricia Swann, that couldn't be a relation of Dr Swann could it? Clara filed that away for later.

"It's strange, that you know him from so long ago and would end up in the same town!"

"Yes...it is."

Lex's mind had gone to work, what was Jason Teague of all people doing in Smallville? Why would someone try to kill him by torching his car? Lex smelled some kind of intervention, perhaps on Genevieve's part, Jason wouldn't come here without a reason, it wasn't exactly a well known town. Jason had always been close to his mother, and if she had associated with his father... It would need investigation.

"So, you rescued another billionaire from a car, this time from fire! You seem to be making a habit of this. Should I be jealous?"

Clara became a little flustered and blurted out: "No, of course not, why would you think that?

Lex smirked and called in Stephan to clear up their plates, Clara felt a little bad for not doing it herself, she wasn't used to staff being around. Lex retrieved the box from by the fireplace and pulled out over a dozen dust covered editions of Warrior Angel. Some dated back to its creation and most were rare non-canon issues.

"Oh my God, you have _Warrior Angel: Secret Origins_, they only printed 100 of these!"

This was one of the rarest comics known to man, an alternate universe origin story for Warrior Angel, where he had hair and was not an extra-terrestrial, but a boy who received his powers from a comic book, and rather than Devilicus being his arch nemesis, Warrior Angel becomes Devilicus after he feels betrayed by his loved ones. It hadn't gone down well with most of the fans, but a few die-hards still enjoyed it.

Come to think of it, a lot of Warrior Angel's canon life story paralleled Clara's, maybe that was why she liked him so much.

"Yes, while it didn't get critical acclaim I found it interesting. Not one of my favourites, but it's always amusing to play with Alternate Universes."

Clara nodded as she flicked through, and then looked at the rest; one in particular caught her eye.

"You have the first official edition! Before they changed the storyline so Devilicus was a separate character! I've heard about this, in this version Warrior Angel _was_ Devilicus! Before they changed him to be a heroic character!"

"Yes, it was written in the 60's, and I suppose the writers thought a bald superhero wouldn't catch on, but he was such a popular idea he got a reboot."

They talked comics for over two hours, weighing up the different versions of Warrior Angel, the different origins and costumes and Clara had clear views.

"I like him best in the original costume, with the red cape, before they changed his colour scheme. I've always liked the idea of a red cape."

Lex smiled at that "I'm sure you'd look brilliant in one. Who needs Warrior Angel when you can have Clara Kent? I can always get you one for Christmas."

"I think I'll stick to my jacket for now, but thanks."

After they finished examining the Warrior Angel comics Lex led Clara to his home theatre, when he said he had one, Clara had imagined a surround sound system, maybe a wide screen. Lex had a _movie theatre_ in his house, one large enough to seat 50, complete with flip seats, popcorn and soda machines.

"I've heard some good things about this film, although I wouldn't hold my breath, they seem to be basing it off of a Non-Canon comic, the characters are definitely younger in this depiction. I'll be interested to see how it plays out."

Lex has a popcorn maker in the room, and set to work making some while Clara used the drinks machine. They sat together in the middle of the front row as Fantastic Four began to roll, there must have been someone working the projector at the back.

The film was interesting, in its own way, Clara didn't like the casting at all, it was too different from the comic, and the acting wasn't exactly inspired. Still it was enjoyable in its own way, and Clara found herself flicking her eyes over to Lex to see his reactions. That was even more fun than the movie; she felt her heart soar every time he smiled, of when he laughed at something. Her stomach fluttered when he would lean over to whisper a comment on the film in her ear, even though they were alone and it wasn't necessary. Her heart raced when their hands accidentally touched in the popcorn bag, it was a sweet kind of torture. Lex's hand was resting on the arm of his seat, and Clara felt the inexplicable urge to take it. She didn't dare though, choosing to keep her hands on her drink. The film ended, the heroes won, and Dr Doom was relegated to a crate bound for Latveria. As the credits rolled, something didn't sit well with Clara.

"I sort of feel bad for Victor, while he was conceited, maybe if Susan had been honest about her feelings for Reed from the beginning, he wouldn't have been so resentful. He may not have been the nicest guy, but being spurned like that wasn't very tactful on Susan's part either. Victor just didn't know how to express his affection properly. But I suppose that's just me, I always have a little sympathy for the bad guy, his life could have been completely different but for a few choices."

"Yes, choice is important, and that's what makes him irredeemable, he chose to turn against the woman he claimed to love, to kill those he called "friends". That is unforgiveable."

"He felt betrayed, in a way he was. He did everything for Susan, and from the way they portrayed this she did lead him on. If she'd told the truth then most of it could have been avoided."

"I suppose I can see your point, honesty in any relationship is important."

After Lex said that, Clara felt a little awkward, he may not know it, but she had argued herself into a corner. So early on in their friendship and already Clara was lying to him, even if by some miracle Lex felt the same way as her, before anything could happen she would have to tell him her secret. It was the right thing to do, but Clara was not ready for it at all. Clara couldn't have a relationship based on lies, so until she was ready to reveal her secret to him, Clara couldn't have a romantic relationship with Lex.

Her heart sank at this realisation.

Luckily, Lex was showing her back into the living room, so didn't see the look on her face.

They would have to remain friends, until she was ready, or until she thought Lex was.

She didn't know which.

**Author's Note: Please read and review! Also, please no arguing on my interpretation of the Fantastic Four films, it's for the purposes of the story and I haven't seen it in years!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I don't own DC or Supernatural!**

**Author's Note: Please forgive my Supernatural references, I'm nutty for that show and with Jensen Ackles as Jason I couldn't resist! See if you can spot them! I thought we'd spend some time with some other characters!**

Chapter 16

Jason Teague sat at his coach's desk which was located in a tiny box room that Coach Arnold had used to keep the old equipment. It was filled with now outdated helmets, jerseys and footballs, as well as a dusty trophy cabinet with the less important awards. Coach Arnold kept the prestigious trophies for his own, much larger office. Before him on the rickety desk was the insurance report from his car, stating that they could not find a fault in the wiring or the engine that would cause the blaze and therefore they were labelling it arson. Fortunately, he was insured for arson, thanks to his mother's perpetual paranoia, but still, it was troubling. Who would want him dead? He had made a point of staying out of his father's affairs, opting not to study law, an action that had seen him disinherited.

Jason never wanted a glamorous life; he wanted to do the thing he loved, football. He'd earned his football scholarship to Met-U, he'd been a rising star, and everything was set...until he tore his rotator cuff and been taken out on contention. It had never been the same since. So, if he couldn't be on the field, he's decided to teach those who could, and therefore remain involved with his first love, football. He'd been earning a secondary degree at Central Kansas A & M on top of Coaching their team when his mother had called him, asking him to come to Smallville. To be truthful he'd felt sceptical about what she'd asked him to do, but he had just come out of a bad breakup, and seeing them every day was becoming harder and harder. His mother always wanted what was best for him and what she'd asked wasn't that terrible, so he'd agreed. Later that day he'd gotten the call from Principal Kwan, asking him to join the staff as Coach. Only, once he'd arrived, he realised that he was treading on another man's toes. Coach Arnold wasn't retiring anytime soon and did not take kindly to some "trust fund brat" trying to take his place. He took every opportunity to put his _Assistant_ down. But Jason had grown up around two-faced back biters and the bitchy heirs to empires; he could handle a 55 year old man with delusions of grandeur.

Jason actually felt a little sorry for Arnold, he had spent his whole life with the Crows, but had developed bad habits and now he was unable to adapt to the changing face of high school football. Principal Kwan had confided that Coach Arnold was neglecting to enforce the academic discipline needed to qualify to play on the team. Nearly half of the players were falling behind in school, some may not graduate unless it was addressed. Coach Arnold only cared about the win, not the wellbeing of his players, he'd laughed in Kwan's face. Jason saw Arnold for what he was, a solitary hothead. Kwan wanted a younger role model, one who would stress the importance of academics and health as well as competition. Jason could see how he fit the bill; he had maintained a 4.0 Grade average in High School despite a busy football schedule, earned himself a football scholarship and graduated with a degree in Sports Management from Met-U. He wasn't just qualified to coach football; he was capable of teaching men and women's soccer, wrestling and basketball.

All of this made him a better role model for teenage boys, in both the sports and academic arenas. Arnold was definitely threatened, he may even be forced to retire, but would that be enough to drive him to torch Jason in his own car? Arnold was a pretty straightforward guy, rash and arrogant, but Jason would have expected a direct confrontation, a fist fight rather than a fire bomb. Maybe it had nothing to do with Arnold, and everything to do with why his mother had sent him here.

"_Carry on my wayward son..."_

Speaking of which, that was the ring tone for his mum, Jason flipped the phone open and answered:

"Hello mother"

"Jason, my sweetheart! How are you? I heard about the arson on Friday, why didn't you call me?"

"I'm fine mother, the car took all the damage, a student pulled me away from the flames"

"I'm glad to hear it darling. Has there been any progress on what we talked about?"

"No, I've only just arrived mother, and I'm on staff, I have responsibilities. Things like this take time."

"Don't take too long sweetie, Mummy is counting on you to find out what she needs, Luthor stole it from us, and we need it back. I know you won't disappoint me, you never do."

"Mum...has Dad asked about me...at all?"

Jason loved his father, even if he was a disappointment to him. Jason had always felt he was never good enough, could never live up the legend of the great attorney, Edward Teague. Edward had wanted his son to become a lawyer and settle down with an heiress, to continue the Teague line. That just wasn't who Jason was. Part of him was still desperate for his father's attention, some form of recognition. Since he had been disinherited 7 years ago, he hadn't heard a word from his father. He still hoped...

"He's very busy darling, you know how stubborn he is. I promise you, before the school year is out, you'll get what you deserve from him."

"Thanks Mum, but I'm not so sure."

There was a knock on his door and Jason looked up to see Lucas Lang standing by the frame.

"I have to go Mum, a student is here, I love you."

"I love you too sweetheart, remember what I said, I'm counting on you!"

The line clicked off, and Jason lowered the phone.

"Cas, how can I help? Is your shoulder still bothering you?"

"No, CJ, thanks, the muscle exercises you showed me really helped. Was that your Mum on the phone?"

"Yeah, she likes to check in, you know how it is."

"I do, my Aunt Nell has me on speed dial, she calls about 5 times a day to see what I'm doing, it can be a little..."

"Suffocating?"

Lucas was startled by Jason's honest pronouncement.

"Yeah, it's like, she has this big dream for me, and she wants to be involved with everything, but she doesn't _talk_ to me so much as _at_ me. Whitney does the same thing. I know they care, but all they seem to want is for me to do what _they_ want."

Jason could understand that, his father had been the same, and his mother to a certain extent. His mother may not have disapproved of his life choices, but she controlled far more of what he did than most people's mothers' did. He'd begun to realise that lately. He saw a lot of himself in Lucas, conflicted between what he wanted, who he was and what his family wanted him to be.

"Do you know what it is you want?"

Lucas twitched uncomfortably.

"I'm starting to, but I think I need time to figure more of it out. I don't think my Aunt will like it at all."

"Cas, part of growing up is figuring out who you are. It took me a while to find out that who I was wasn't who my father wanted me to be. If I'd gone along with what he wanted, I'd be a miserable lawyer in a courtroom with 2.4 kids and a wife I can't stand. You have to figure out what's best for you, in the long run I'm sure your Aunt will respect it, it's clear she loves you."

"You think?"

"Sure, just be yourself Cas, there's nothing else you can really be, not if you want to be happy."

Lucas looked thoughtful, he ran a hand through his straight black hair, causing it to tousle in different directions.

"Thanks CJ, you really helped."

"It's what I'm here for, in fact, here, let me give you my cell number, in case you need to talk more. I wish I'd had someone who had been through the same thing to talk to at your age, things would have been far easier"

"Thanks CJ"

Lucas Lang walked out of Jason Teague's office with a slight spring in his step, feeling better than he had in weeks. He'd just made an important decision, and the person involved wasn't going to like it, at all. But he couldn't live a lie anymore; it wasn't fair to either of them.

...

Metropolis was a city of opportunity, for those who would reach out and grasp it. Lionel Luthor, even as a young man, did not believe in sitting idly. He was a subscriber to using the resources you had, and if you didn't have any, aggressively acquiring someone else's. There was no place for the weak in the world of business. Any hangers on would have to be let go, and obstacles removed, forcibly. His parents had been obstacles, poor, crass and common criminals. His father was an abusive drunk, getting by on petty theft and low life dealings. His mother was a pushover, a miserable, weak woman who had never raised a hand to defend her only child from her husband. In the end, the only value they had to him was their life insurance policy. With a little helpful arson at their apartment from Morgan Edge, dead beat parents became a path to the Luthor Legacy. He'd used the life insurance to start Luthor Corp, and had never looked back.

Lionel had hidden his humble origins from the public and educated himself far beyond his background, Chemistry at Princeton, then two PHD's, one in biochemical engineering, the other in macroeconomic modelling from Yale. Lionel Luthor learned to get what he wanted; he had the education, the company, now all he needed was the family to perfect it. Lillian had been everything he expected in a woman, beautiful, wealthy, spirited and well connected. His pursuit had been ardent, and she had agreed to marry him, though, she had turned out far more spirited than he had realised. When Lex had been born, his empire was nearly complete; he now had a male heir to carry on the line. The boy had been sickly, Asthma, and he spent far too much time with his mother, it made him weak. Lionel had separated them as early as possible, sending Lex to boarding school. It was at that time he had become involved with Dr Swann, and the grand vision of The Traveller, a being from another race sent to become the saviour of mankind. The Queen's and the Teague's had also been involved, everything seemed set for Veritas, their society, to find and raise the visitor.

That fateful day in Smallville had changed everything. The boy found in the field had been a fake; Lionel had disposed of the problem appropriately. Then, Lex, his heir, had been injured. His son was now disfigured, although his health problems had miraculously disappeared. The adversity had done wonders for the boy, putting him in the firing line at boarding school helped shape him into a better Luthor. But after Julian... Lex could not be trusted to make the right decisions, he was weak, he needed firm guidance. If Julian had not been enough, his teenage years of drugs, sex and crime had solidified this image. Lionel had decided, Smallville was where Lex's trouble had begun; it was where it would end. It would be his test, Lex would prove himself of he would be disinherited.

But, perhaps Lex's weakness wasn't as large a disappointment as he had first believed; his relationship with the Kent girl was interesting. When Lionel had arranged that adoption he had assumed the girl was an immigrant the Kent's has snuck into the country. Now though, after Lex's miraculous rescue, he had other suspicions. Had he let the Traveller slip through his fingers? Had he been wrong to assume the child would be male? Had his hubris and arrogance blinded him to all possibilities? Lionel's foundations were in science, and so, he would allow this _experiment_ to take place. Lex would be allowed to get close to the girl, he seemed attached already, and if she was who Lionel suspected...

Perhaps Lex could serve a greater purpose than he first envisioned. He has first dreamed of controlling The Traveller, but that had been a narrow view, he realised this now. If the Kent girl was human, then he would still have a bargaining chip against Lex, he was sentimental, like his mother. However, if she was of another world...

To be the Father-in-Law to The Traveller, the Grandfather to the first Human-Alien hybrids, to have influence over the power of the stars. This could be the Luthor Legacy, to gain the powers of the Gods.

Lex's weak heart could be the key to the world.

**Author's Note: Hope you liked it! Booooo Lionel! Please Read and Review!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville or DC!**

**Authors Note: Thanks for all your wonderful reviews! I'd never have believed when I started this story that I would reach 100 reviews! I'm sorry it's taking so long to update but I've started a 5 day a week voluntary job at a museum that will hopefully lead to full time employment in the next 7 months! Here is our Halloween instalment! **

Chapter 17

"Happy Halloween Clara!"

Chloe walked up to Clara with a beaming grin on her face and Clara put down the bale of hay she was stacking to give her a hug. It was Monday 31st October 2005 and Smallville as always was getting into the spirit of things. The closest farm to the High School, Mr Jefferson's, always provided bales of hay and a patch of disused land for the annual Horror Hay Maze. It was usually the senior teenagers who pitched in together to construct it, and they got extra credit for participating in a community activity. Clara was currently helping to construct the outer wall along with Tommy Jefferson, who was Mr Jefferson's son and graduated last year, he'd decided to stay on his father's farm. She noticed he kept glancing her way when she lifted the hay. She supposed he was surprised by her strength, although Clara was moving far slower and with far less bales of hay than she would at home. This was like picking up a flower to her. Clara's mind couldn't comprehend the fact that Tommy Jefferson was not amazed by her strength, but by her cleavage and how her t-shirt rode up when she lifted a bale. She had unbuttoned and rolled the sleeves up on her plaid over shirt in order to give the impression that she was hot from work, but she hadn't realised that blue scoop neck t-shirt clung in a very flattering way. Tommy busied himself with the hay when he saw Chloe approach, his ears went pink when she looked at him pointedly, Chloe didn't miss a trick.

"I see our Horror Maze is coming along! Smile!"

Chloe snapped a shot of Clara, with a crooked grin, wild waving hair and a relaxed stance by the assembling wall; she'd be featuring it in this week's Torch.

Tommy was called away by his sister, a red headed girl around Clara's age called Judy who she saw occasionally in class. Chloe took this as a moment to speak more openly with Clara.

"So, have you decided on your costume yet?"

"My Mum is making me something; she says it's a surprise. She's always made my costumes, though she never lets me see them beforehand. She knows I want a cape though."

"Last year your Dorothy costume was awesome! I will look forward to seeing this year! I, unlike you, have used the wonders of the internet, and you shall have the company of Alice tonight."

"I can definitely imagine you with the Alice band, not the apron though; I don't think I've ever seen you cook."

Chloe lightly tapped Clara's arm "I'll have you know I'm a great cook!"

"So, do you know if a certain billionaire is coming tonight?"

Clara gave Chloe a slightly affronted look.

"What makes you think I'd know?"

"Because you've been texting him every day for the last week two weeks since your "geek day" and you keep getting that goofy look on your face."

Clara was about to retort when she thought better of it, you could never win with Chloe.

Clara sighed "I told him about it, I don't know if this is his style. I told him it was costume optional but we'll see, he's been investigating some break-ins at buildings his father owns in the area."

"Was anything taken?"

Chloe had her reporters' hat on now.

"Only a few minor pieces of equipment, nothing important, but he says it looks like they were looking for something else."

"Like what?"

"He doesn't know, the buildings belonged to his Dad, only he'd know if something was missing. Lex says if they'd found what they wanted they wouldn't still be breaking into places."

"A sound assumption, but it deserves investigation..."

Yup, Chloe was on the trail again.

"Come on team, hustle! We've only got 3 more hours to get this maze constructed and decked out so you can all go home to get spooked up!"

Jason Teague stood there in his red coach's polo shirt; in his arms were some rubber skeletons. He'd been "nominated" by Coach Arnold to take charge of the festivities, mostly because it was him who usually got lumped with it, and he wanted to get out of it. Jason had gladly accepted it, his mother had a strange relationship with the occult, and especially hated Halloween's association with witches. So Jason had never been allowed to participate as a child. He'd jumped at the chance to get into the spirit of things.

"Clara, nice job on your part of the wall, Tommy, you should spend more time looking at your work than _anything_ else, we don't want it falling on someone."

Chloe smirked; it appeared Jason Teague wasn't a fool either.

"Cheerleaders! I want to see more work and less chatting, that means you too Fordman! If you're not going to help to carve the pumpkins then go back to class."

Whitney looked affronted, standing over by the carving table with the rest of the team. But uncharacteristically she didn't say anything back. Rumours had gone around that she and Lucas had broken up, who did it to who wasn't known. But two weeks ago Whitney had gotten the bus to school, rather than coming in Lucas's car, and Lucas had switched seats in all his classes. Clara noticed that Lucas was looking far happier lately, smiling more and was much more relaxed. Chloe suspected it was he who broke it off, and felt unwilling empathy for Whitney, he Dad didn't have long and now her boyfriend had left her, Lucas mustn't have known about her family situation.

"Sam and Bobby, grab your green paint and head over to the west entrance. I want you to spray paint some symbols on the ground. Let's put you delinquent hobbies to some use."

Sam and Bobby were well known for their destructive habits, and over interest in the occult. They nodded and grabbed the red paint cans and the offered book and walked into the maze.

"Ellen and Jo, go put some overalls on and the bucket of paint and go nuts, we need a real massacre in there. Mary and John, I want you to go and make the banners, I hope I can trust you to keep your eyes on the paper?"

Jason kept firing off instructions and Clara went back to stacking bales, her section of the outer wall was almost done. Chloe bade goodbye and went off to take more pictures.

"You all know what you're doing? Alright, Cas you're with me, we'll grab some stiffs and hang them round. I want the maze ready to test in an hour; I hope you all followed the plans!"

Lucas Lang grabbed some more skeletons and robes from Jason's new car and headed into the maze with him. They'd been spending a lot of time together lately, Clara thought it was good for Lucas to have a strong male role model, he'd grown up without a Dad and it was important to have someone to look up to. Jason seemed to take Lucas under his wing from the moment they met, it seemed they had a lot in common and Chloe thought if they weren't teacher and student they could have been best friends.

They carried on working until 5pm, then Clara and the rest packed up to go home until the maze opened at 7pm. Clara had volunteered to be a steward, to walk around the maze and help guide anyone who freaked out, there was always someone. In previous years the maze had been fairly simple and not overly large, but this one was 3/4 of a football field, Jason may have overreached a little. All the stewards had maps, and with Clara's eidetic memory she didn't need it.

Her mother greeted her with a grin when she got home; their pumpkin was on the step with its ghoulish visage already alight. It was 5.30 when she cycled back, she found she'd been using her bike a lot lately; it was easy to hide in case she needed to run for any reason. They ate dinner, Spaghetti Bolognese and a pumpkin cake and then Martha went into her room to retrieve Clara's costume. Martha had always loved making costumes for Clara, she'd been a princess (which Clara has worn but not loved), an Angel, Dorothy, a Knight and Robin Hood (Clara had loved that), but remembering Clara's love for fairytales Martha had decided to go traditional. She presented the box with glee and Clara opened it to reveal swathes of red. Clara pulled out a bright red cloak that would fall to her ankles and underneath was a white peasants dress with a red corset.

"Mum it's beautiful!"

"I remember you loved this story growing up, I made you a little red cape when you were small and you loved to run around in it. I think Little Red Riding Hood is a good homage to your childhood love."

Clara went to change and her mother took pictures as she came down. Her hair flowed around her as walked, the skirts swishing as she moved and the cloak flowing behind her on the stairs.

"Oh honey you look great, doesn't she Jonathan?"

"Very grown-up"

"Your father and I are leaving for the Hay Maze in 5 minutes Clara, make sure you have everything."

...

"You sure we should use these? CJ said he only wanted the symbols."

"These are creepy looking right? The way they glow, stick 'em in with the Roswell section and we're bound to freak someone out."

"Fine, but if we get in deep for this, I'm blaming you Bobby."

...

It was 7pm when the Kent's arrived at the Maze and parked, taking out the pies and cakes they were donating to the snack table. The proceeds from the maze and the food stall would go to updating the High Schools teaching supplies. Clara admitted Smallville definitely needed updating.

Clara spotted Chloe, who'd also volunteered for stewarding, and was decked out in blue and white for her Alice costume.

"Chloe you look great!"

"That's Alice tonight Red!"

They followed the gathering crowd of seniors who were converging around the southern entrance. Jason Teague was looking dapper in a 1940's suit complete with Fedora and toy machine gun. Lucas stood beside him in a suit and tan rain coat, his hair gelled up, and Clara spotted what looked like Angels wings on his back. It was an odd choice. Whitney was over by the group of cheerleaders, her skin pale, her clothing tight, and plastic fangs in her mouth; she sent several hurt and almost pleading looks over at Lucas.

There were several boys in _Scream_ gear, one Roman, a Michael Jackson, a few vampires and werewolves and one guy dressed as Spock from Star Trek. As they were oriented more and more people began to arrive, pay at the kiosk ran by the Teaching Staff, and enter the maze.

"Alright, everyone take a walkie-talkie, and I don't want to hear any unnecessary chatter! You're going to walk the maze in case anyone needs to be led out, but feel free to periodically scare the pants of anyone passing by. You all know your team numbers, I'll call out when it's your turn for a snack break, and volunteers get free refreshments but don't abuse it! Okay, go have fun and remember you're representing the school, anyone caught messing around will answer to Principal Kwan and won't get their credits."

They walked into the maze and split up in separate directions. The decorators had done an excellent job, skeletons and coffins, bloody scarecrows and bright green occult symbols on the floor, and what must have been Ellen and Jo's section, which was covered with bright red splatter patterns. Clara and Chloe walked around with each other for the first half hour, jumping out at middle schoolers and juniors, and once or twice their own classmates, until after an hour and a half Chloe's group was called for a snack break.

Clara kept on walking, giving directions and occasionally leading people out of the maze, ears picking up screams and giggles, and the eerie sounds and music from the sound system.

After another half hour hadn't seen anyone for a while, and so decided to move from the gothic to the extraterrestrial part of the maze, which she hadn't seen yet. There as silver ship debris strewn around the edges of the corn bales, one of two bright green corpses, which somewhat offended Clara, and as Clara turned the Clara, the emanating glow of meteor rock.

It was too late to turn back, she was surrounded by it, she felt sick to her stomach and fell to her knees. Clara tried to crawl back the way she came, but she didn't have the strength, and when she fell forward she had landed on her walkie talkie, and she didn't have the strength to try and reach under herself to pull it out of her bag. She felt dizzy, and it was as if the ground was moving underneath her, she wished someone would come this way, anyone...

Clara must have gone unconscious, she didn't know how long she was out, but then she heard someone calling her name, and she was turned over, and above her...above her was Warrior Angel.

Clara blinked, she must be hallucinating, a blue eye mask and suit with a "W" insignia on the chest, along with a flowing red cape than matched hers but for her own hood. A bald head and piercing ice blue eyes, wait, she knew those eyes...

"Lex?"

"Clara, what's wrong? Are you alright?"

Clara didn't have time to obfuscate.

"It's the rocks...they make me sick...please...help me move away from them."

Lex looked around at the meteor rocks with a queer expression, and helped Clara stand, but when it was clear she couldn't support herself he swept her up bridal style and carried her away, he kept walking until Clara told him to stop. They were at one of the rest zones, a dead end with a Coffin and Skeleton and a bale of hay to sit on.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Much, thanks"

Clara tried to draw attention away from what just happened.

"I like your costume, the original Warrior Angel, the one I told you I liked."

Clara reached out and touched the cape on Lex's shoulder.

"It looks good on you."

Lex was wise to her game, but would play along for a little while.

"You look good yourself, little red riding hood right?"

"Yeah, my Mum made it, she always makes my costume."

"So...what happened back there, what was the meteor rock doing to you?"

Clara felt ice in her stomach, she didn't want to lie, but she couldn't tell the whole truth either.

"I'm ... allergic to them, If I go anywhere near meteor rock I become violently sick."

"If you knew that why were you in there?"

"The rock wasn't meant to be there. It wasn't in the plans for the maze at all. Someone must have added it after we were done."

Lex stayed quiet, his insides warred between his scientific curiosity, and his growing adoration for Clara, now his closest friend. Clara was looking at her feet, her stance was stiff and Lex could tell she was terrified of what he would say. If he pushed now, he could lose her forever, but perhaps there was another road, one that was better for the both of them right now. He made his decision, and went for the plunge.

"Clara, I'm your friend and I think I know you well enough by now to know you don't like to lie. I can see this is far more than an allergy, you looked at deaths door, and the minute you were away from them you were fine. It's not the only thing about you I've noticed. But, you are inherently an honest person, so, if you feel the need to lie to me, then it must be something very important to you. Now, I know all about secrets, and I know they can destroy friendships, usually because people refuse to acknowledge they have any. I'm not asking you to reveal all your secrets to me now; God knows I have many you don't know about. In my short time in this town I've found that respect and trust have to be earned, and from my dealings with my father I know secrets can be damaging. So, I say we have a pact."

Clara for the first time since the rescue looked into Lex's eyes.

"What kind of pact?"

"That we know we have secrets, important ones that we can't tell each other now, we've only known each other for over a month. But, we acknowledge that these secrets do exist, and that one day, when we know each other better, we will tell each other the whole truth."

Clara nodded at his suggestion and rephrased.

"So, hypothetically, if there was a reason I'm allergic to meteor rock, and...I wanted to tell you but I couldn't yet..."

"I would know that there is indeed a reason, that you are an amazing individual who has saved my life and others, and that one day, when we trust each other enough, you will tell me why."

"And ... the same for your secrets?"

Lex's jaw tightened but he nodded.

"Even my secrets, there was a reason I came to Smallville, apart from my father, and one day, I'll tell you."

Lex and Clara sat looking at one another; Clara unconsciously noticed they were holding hands. Clara felt a sense of relief and a growing warmth within her for Lex. He hadn't ostracised her for not revealing her secret, as long as she admitted there was one. The pact was a large commitment, an acknowledgement that Clara anticipated the growth of their relationship to a point where they would bare all to each other.

Lex too felt relief, he wasn't insane, there was something going on, and he had taken the risk of acknowledging it, only to have his trust returned. How differently this could have gone, Clara could have openly denied anything was wrong, could have called him crazy or lied about what the rocks had done to her. But Clara was inherently an honest creature, a special girl, and Lex now knew it. There were dark moments in his past he could not reveal to Clara now, moments of grief and pain and vengeance, those memories were not to be revealed now. He could admit they existed, but was not ready to reveal them. He could give Clara the same courtesy.

"Thank you Lex, really, for everything."

Clara reached forward and kissed Lex on the cheek, he felt his insides flutter in a way he hadn't felt...he didn't think he'd ever felt it. Lex reached forward and returned Clara's kiss on the cheek.

They looked at each other and found themselves compulsively moving closer, they faces reached towards each other, their eyes closed, lips about to touch...

The walkie talkie burst into life.

"...This is Jason, Team B can go on break now, assemble at the snack stand for check in! Sam, Bobby, come see me after your break, I have a bone to pick about some, artistic license you've taken...over and out."

Lex Luthor cursed Jason Teague with all his being, and if the Gods were just, Jason would be struck down by lightning.

Clara startled away and blushed red, before standing up awkwardly and Lex did the same reluctantly.

"...You want to come get something to eat?"

Lex let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Yeah, I could use a snack right now; you probably should eat something too."

"Come on, I can at least pretend to do my job, I'm supposed to lead people through the maze tonight."

Lex's gently took Clara's hand, "Lead me through the forest Red. You wouldn't want to wolves to get me."

Clara looked at their hands entwined, and her heart soared.

The crimson cloaked couple didn't drop each other's hands until they reached the southern gateway, when they gave each other one last squeeze and parted.

They had a bond, a pact, an acknowledgement of secrets that kept their silence.

Perhaps you could keep a secret without destroying a friendship, Clara thought, as long as you acknowledge there was one.

**Author's Note: Hides behind a bale of hay. Read and Review! Let's get started on the next 100! **


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I don't own DC or Smallville**

**Author's Note: After receiving some good stylistic advice, I thought I'd add some drama! So, here's a brief mid-week introduction of a well known character, you'll get to meet her in person hopefully by the weekend!**

Chapter 18

Sam and Bobby had been suspended for adding meteor rock to the Hay Maze, Jason had cited it was a health and safety violation, it was strewn across the path and research had shown it could have detrimental long term health effects.

Clara and Lex hadn't talked about their pact since, it was a silent part of their relationship, they understood each other. Instead, they talked about music, movies, football, comics, and generally got to know each other better. They were planning to go riding together sometime soon.

The weeks after Halloween had seemed to pass in a whirl wind of studying, reporting and farm chores. The football season was in full swing, and Jason Teague was in his element, the team had never done so well, and Coach Arnold was clearly becoming as angry as he was insecure in his position. Lucas Lang looked happier than ever, sighted laughing and joking with his team mates, and was spending a lot of time with Jason. Whitney had become quiet, almost wraith-like, and seemed to be focusing her energy on studying and cheerleading. Chloe was in a frenzy of reporting, college applications and preparations for winter finals. Clara was also busy, but she made sure to take time out to spend time with Chloe and her parents.

The air grew colder, the days shorter, and naturally that meant more time was spent indoors than out unless necessary. For Clara, this was not a foregone conclusion; she often liked to walk her family's property in the dark, feeling the chill, but not the painful bite that her human compatriots must feel. Clara often wondered what it would feel like to experience things as her parents did: the bite of cold, the burn of fire, fatigue, aches and pains, the human condition.

It seemed odd, to want to feel the bodily troubles of human life, the only pain Clara had ever felt had been induced by meteor rock and that wasn't pleasant at all. But still, in many matters growing up Clara felt excluded from her peers: losing teeth, scraped knees, commiserations over colds and toothaches, the sympathy between girls for period cramps, and the jovial complaints about exhaustion after Phys-Ed. Those normal experiences Clara had been excluded from, she would smile or frown and laugh with the others, and felt that pang when she had to lie.

Until she had accidentally revealed herself to Chloe she'd had no one to talk to about all this. She'd felt almost alone at school, hiding behind rehearsed platitudes and making excuses with a smile. Ever since, Chloe had been her closest confidante, she knew all of her woes, her heartaches and her deepest darkest secrets. For over 3 years Chloe had been there for her whenever she needed, a phone call or a run away, she had never turned her down.

Until this week.

If Chloe wasn't available, and it was near a holiday, there was only one reason. There was only one thing in the world, or one person, who Chloe would prioritise above her best friend, and that was her cousin.

Lois Lane

Every time Lois had visited Chloe growing up, and Clara had come around to play, Lois had never failed to mercilessly tease her, about her "clueless country ways", her "lumberjack clothes" and her "goody goody" ways. Lois Lane had never been afraid of authority, while Clara had always respected it, Lois was brash, Clara was cautious, Lois liked attention, Clara was more reserved, Lois was insatiably curious, and Clara had a big secret.

As they grew older things only became worse, puberty began and once a year Lois would arrive at the Sullivan's, "dumped" there, as she put it, by her General Father, while her sister Lucy remained with him. Lois made it clear she didn't like country life, it was boring, quiet, and as she matured it was obvious she was a girl who craved action.

Despite her best efforts to the contrary, Clara was extremely irritated by Lois Lane.

Lois Lane was the only person who got under Clara's skin, and she was back in Smallville. Clara had hoped that Lois's time away would have matured her, made her more tactful and understanding. No such luck, Lois hadn't been back to Smallville since Clara and Chloe were 15, now she was back, a Freshman at Metro-U, older, wiser, and far more opinionated.

Thanksgiving was in a few days, and Chloe's cousin had come to stay out of the blue, she had a reading week for all her Freshman classes at Metro-U but it didn't seem much actual reading was going to get done.

Lois Lane was not the dainty, intelligent but ultimately tactful blonde her cousin was. She was the same height as Clara, far more buxom, auburn haired, and very beautiful. She was also a loud, opinionated, insensitive, tactless, boisterous 19-year-old army brat who was very used to getting her way. She'd taken to calling Clara "Smallville" when they were younger, the name had stuck, Clara hasn't taken it as a simple name, to her, Lois was making a comment on her life. To Lois Lane, Smallville was boring, simple and bland. For Lois to call Clara "Smallville", Clara worried she must be too.

Clara always felt inadequate around Lois. At times, frustrated to the point that she felt in danger of slipping. She made it a point to do all the chores that demanded hard physical labour when Lois Lane visited. Particularly splitting wood, with her bare hands, it may not physically challenge her but it made her feel better.

Yesterday, Lois had visited the High School and looked at _The Torch_ articles. She had blithely told Clara that her "Cutesy pie" journalism was fine for the "sticks", but if she wanted to make the big leagues she needed to grow some "cajones" and put a little "bite" into her reporting. Chloe's articles did not receive the same criticism. When Chloe and Clara could spend time together alone, in class and at _The Torch_, all Chloe could talk about was all the wonderful things in Metropolis Lois had done. That Lois had a spot on the University paper already, that, that Lois had even gotten an article published as an intern columnist at the _Metropolis Inquisitor_.

The Kent's definitely had enough fire wood to last three winters that day.

Clara knew it was wrong, and against everything her parents had taught her, she knew she should be happy for Chloe, she didn't have much family and they didn't visit often. Clara knew she should be a lot of things, but she also knew she was extremely irritated by Lois Lane, and she would be quite relieved when she returned to Metropolis.

Clara could have survived this visit without incident, avoided Chloe until Lois was finally gone and dedicated herself to her chores. But it seemed Hurricane Lois would not pass quietly by Smallville, because on this visit, Lois Lane caught wind of a Luthor in town.

Lois Lane was used to getting what she wanted, in work and in life.

Clara had been preoccupied with the physical aspects of the human experience; she had neglected to realise it was the emotional that was more important. She was about to recognise the first stirrings of more serious human conditions:

Jealousy and Anger.

...

**Author's Note: After receiving some advice I thought I'd mix things up, now I'll go hide! Please** **review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I don't own DC or Smallville**

**Author's Note: Sorry it's took so long, I volunteer during the week now and have several other stories on the go! Plus I don't want to just upload any old thing, I like to maintain a certain quality of writing. If I don't like it I won't post it until I think of something better. As for all the Lois hating going on in reviews, thing are more complicated for her than you would think. Not everyone is wholly bad, or wholly good. As Clara is starting to find out, even she isn't perfect!**

Chapter 19

Lex Luthor walked into the main headquarters of Luthorcorp with one thing in mind. He hadn't been here for months, preoccupied with his projects in Smallville, but it seemed his father was deliberately ignoring his calls and e-mails. Either Lionel Luthor's phone was in need of replacement, as well as all his electronic software and staff, or, as Lex suspected, he was deliberately avoiding his only son. So, Lex was resorting to the Luthor standby, he was making a direct assault. He knew his father was manipulating him, as he always did, but for now he would play his game, if it got him what he wanted. Lex had been investigating the break-ins, and it turned out the Kansas based operations of Luthor Corp had not been the only ones to have been targeted. Facilities in Star City and as far flung as Gotham had been affected.

The facilities had only one thing in common; Lionel Luthor had been there in person in the last 10 years. For a multi-national corporation owning thousands of businesses, directly and indirectly, for the CEO to have visited minor factories, offices and businesses was rather unique. If the thieves were looking for something, it was in relation to his father, and possibly an item Lionel had left at a business he owned. Lex wanted to know what that was. What could his father have left at one of these minor facilities that would be worth cross-state, and possibly even cross-continental break-ins?

The receptionist at the desk buzzed him through on sight, in a slightly fumbled movement. She must have been new; the seasoned Luthorcorp employees knew not to show weakness in the presence of one of their overlords. Not that Lex would ever penalise someone for being human, that was something his father would do. Adversely, Lionel didn't want his employees too confident, it undermined his authority.

Spending time anywhere near Lionel Luthor was a dangerous game, Lex supposed that's why his father didn't have friends, he had assets.

Lex didn't want to end up like that.

His lip quirked when he thought of Clara, his closest friend. Most would consider a 25-year-old spending time with an 18-year-old girl was suspect, and even he had to admit that they were rapidly leaving the "Just Friends" line behind. He had felt genuine disappointment when their almost kiss had been interrupted, but it was probably for the best. They were at the beginnings of something great, adding in something physical would only confuse the issues. They needed a meeting of minds before a meeting of...well, they needed to be able to know and trust each other completely, and they'd already come to an agreement about that.

Lex still dreaded the day that Clara would know the whole of him, why he'd come to Smallville, and what he'd done to get there.

Would she be so trusting and sweet then? Or, was her secret something far worse? It was hard to believe.

The elevator doors opened to the executive floor, which housed his father's personal office. The office was equipped with a stunning view of the Metropolis Skyline, Luthor-Tower was the tallest building in the entire city, only rivalled by _The Daily Planet_. There was a gargantuan desk, dark with sharp angles, his father's style, as well as a bathroom in a side door and a personal safe.

These weren't what interested Lex, his father had security drag him here countless times in his teens, he'd retched into the bathroom toilet more than once. That had happened in his rebellious years, after he came of age he had gone off the rails, a definite case of affluenza, as well as uncontrolled anger generated by what he now knew were repressed memories. His father's computer sat on the desk, it wasn't switched on, which meant his father was most likely not in the building. It would give him a chance to investigate.

The Password was easy, Lex had always been good with computers, and had invested some of his youth in hacking. Now he was older, he'd invested some of his money in some talented individuals whose dealings were not strictly legal, they'd made the hacking software for him. The Luthor Corp intranet was hacked in 2 minutes, his father's personal hard drive in 5 and his ghost drive in 7, that was where the real data was. Lex inserted a USB and copied everything over, then the programme erased all trace of his movements in the computer and intranet.

You can sneak into the dragon's den for his gold, but you shouldn't stop to admire the view. Lex would examine the data later.

Examining the calendar he'd taken from the drive he saw his father was due to be in Gotham for a Wayne Enterprises Charity Event in early December. Lex remembered he had received an invite, but hadn't RSVP'd.

It looked like he had somewhere to be in two weeks.

...

Clara lifted the box full of potatoes into the truck with no effort, brushing the residual dirt off of her hands before going to get another. The week of Thanksgiving was always busy for the Kent farm, orders flew in fast for the traditional food, potatoes, corn, carrots, the usual vegetables. At this time of year dairy was at a premium too, for dressings and deserts, so she had several loads of milk to deliver too.

Clara didn't mind the work; she liked being busy, and it also kept her too preoccupied to worry about Lois Lane.

Thanksgiving was a Thursday this year, so Lois Lane had come during the week to visit Chloe and spend the holiday with her. As Chloe was almost always at The Torch or School, Lois had received a special pass to visit the High School, thereby invading one of Clara's safe spaces. Clara had felt as small as a bumblebee when Lois had critiqued her writing, she thought she was being fair and balanced, apparently that translated as boring and uncontroversial to a city girl.

So Clara had devised a plan, she would work so much she would avoid Lois Lane at all costs, she couldn't afford to slip up.

Clara's parents had noticed, Martha has known for years that Clara has problems with Lois. Clara, after she had learned English, had never been loud, but she was never quiet either. She would chatter like any normal child, but over the years a pattern had emerged, whenever Lois Lane came to Smallville, Clara became tense and quieter than a mouse. At first Martha had thought it was because she was shy, Clara wasn't overly social, and Lois was an older girl who was very opinionated. She'd thought it was a case of culture shock, until she saw the amount of firewood they had multiplied, even in summer. Clara was clearly upset with Lois Lane, but she would never talk about why.

The last time Lois Lane came to Smallville, Clara had introverted astoundingly, she had been 15 and usually a happy girl, but she had always returned from Chloe's house tense, and spent the majority of her time doing the hard labour on the farm. If Clara didn't want to talk about something, then there was no way to force it out of her. Lois hadn't visited for three years, and Martha had forgotten about the problem, but now she was back and it had happened again.

Martha didn't know what it was about Lois Lane that so affected her daughter, but she hoped it didn't get worse, the dam can only hold back so much water, before it bursts.

Clara loaded the last crate, and got into the truck, her father was in the driving seat.

You might not be able to make Clara talk, but she would always listen.

Martha and Jonathan agreed that he and Clara needed to have a talk about Lois Lane.

...

Lex scanned through what felt like the 1,000th file in his father's ghost hard drive. Most were menial documents, dirty corporate dealings and intelligence on competitors, standard fare for a CEO. One on Bruce Wayne caught Lex's interest, apparently he had been caught drunk and disorderly at his own birthday party, it seemed Wayne hadn't outgrown affluenza. But the man's parents had been killed at a young age right in front of him, that had to leave serious mental trauma.

Maybe Alchohol was Wayne's escape from his pain, as it had been for Lex in his teens.

Lex shuffled through streams of data, activating a search software programme to look for the names of the facilities that had been hit, and linking them to his father's calendar, as well as his father's personal inventory. His father always kept meticulous personal records, especially when it came to his possessions, especially when he thought no one else could see them. His father's taste had always been refined, Titian's and fine porcelains, ancient artefacts and historical objects of curiosity. So, for there to be a file entitled "Geological Samples" in an inventory of precious items struck Lex as odd. The archive had green meteor rock samples from Smallville, as well as red and blue rocks, Lex hasn't known they came in different colours. They were all inventoried as being present in his father's vault. Then there was something curious, his programme had identified a flaw in the document, an alteration that had been detected. Lex started a decryption and restoration programme, and suddenly more embedded items appeared.

FT890-D3: Incomplete Geodesic orb. Black unidentified crystal. Indeterminate origin. 15 cm x 15 cm. Acquired by Dr Virgil Swann. Location: Luthor Mansion.

II001-B4: A flat octagonal disc with a diamond shape perforation in the centre. Indeterminate symbols inscribed into the metal. Metal unidentifiable. 7 cm x 7 cm. Acquired from Smallville, Kansas. Current Location: LuthorCorp Vault.

So, one of these items was in the mansion, that was interesting. Lex would have to identify its location. But, this wasn't what he was looking for.

CR345-C3: A Black pyramid crystal. Indeterminate inscriptions. Crystal a similar composition to Smallville meteor rock. 6cm x 8 cm. Acquired from Edgar Cole at a Luthor Corp sponsored dig in Honduras. Current Location: Checked out.

Jackpot.

His father had removed an item, most likely taken it with him and hidden it somewhere else.

Why would his father remove a black pyramid crystal from his collection? Unless someone had tried to break into the vault. Which meant his father knew about the break-ins.

At least Lex knew what he was looking for, but who knew his father had it? What was it? and why was someone else looking for an unidentified piece of crystal?

Knowing his father, it would be a good reason.

...

**Author's Note: The Plot thickens! Please review!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville or DC or the Lawrence High School Chesty Lions (Who are a real team I googled)**

**Author's Note: Thank you for all of your support and lovely reviews, here's our next instalment! **

**Chapter 20**

Clara sat in the passenger seat of her father's truck, feeling the jostling of the road tugging at her seatbelt. Technically she didn't need to wear one, any accident she had would have no effect, but her parents had always insisted on it. She looked over at her father, his golden hair was waving to the rhythm of the truck, he'd let it grow a little lately, like he did every winter, to keep the cold off his neck. The radio was on an easy listening station, the windows were rolled up and the air smell of earth and grass, just like her father. Her mum told her she used to fall asleep on her father all the time growing up, listening to his heartbeat and breathing him in. Clara always associated her father's smell with safety; he was the big man who would protect her from everything. He had taken a child from a field, raised her as his own, and kept his silence about her origins, to protect her. Not everyone would or could do that for a stranger. This is why Clara knew her father was the greatest man alive and also why she held him in the highest esteem, and valued his opinions.

So, when her father began to talk about Lois Lane, no matter how painful the subject, Clara knew she had to listen.

"Clara, ever since you were little you've never been able to hide what you feel. You wear your heart on your sleeve; you're like me in that respect. So, it isn't hard to figure out that whenever Lois Lane comes to town you become very upset. I know that you don't want to talk about it, but it's been getting worse, and I feel I need to talk to you about it."

Clara looked over at her father, who had pulled into a lay by, and was now facing her.

"You've never really been comfortable with ambition, our way of life is simple, and Lois Lane is the most ambitious young woman I've ever come across. I know she makes you uncomfortable, and I can't force you to like someone, but I can make you look at things from another point of view. You don't have to be friends with Lois, but understand that probably a lot of the things she says are not entirely directed at you. You may find that you and Lois are more alike than you think, we are often the most critical of people who remind us of ourselves. I know your mother and I taught you not to judge, try not to let your memories and experiences of Lois cloud you to who she may really be, and try and get her to do the same."

Clara nodded sullenly, she still didn't like Lois Lane, but if her father was suggesting that all her experience had more than one explanation, then there might be something in it.

Maybe Lois Lane wasn't the terrible person she thought she was, anyone Chloe loved had to have good in them.

Only time would tell.

But Lois Lane still got under her skin in the worst way.

...

"Come on, hustle! We've got a big game on Thursday! Earn your Turkey!"

Jason Teague stood at the sidelines of the field, shouting orders at his team. It was the day before the Smallville traditional Turkey Bowl against rivals the Lawrence High school Chesty Lions. The rivalry was legendary, dating back to the late 1800's when both towns had been in their infancy. Jason smiled as Lucas ran past, flashing him a grin as he ran laps, he was definitely happier since he broke up with that Whitney girl, she wasn't doing so great though if the rumour mill was true.

Coach Arnold was conspicuous in his absence, lately he'd become broody and sullen, and the power control freak Jason has known had become quiet and withdrawn. Perhaps it was the season, Coach Arnold had no family or children, his life was the game. But then again, perhaps Coach Arnold had something up his sleeve that would come back to bite Jason in the ass. In the meantime, he had complete control of the team.

"Wow, if you'd been _my_ Highschool coach I would have done more sports."

Jason looked around startled to look into a pair of blue eyes, it was a pretty girl, she was the same height as him, with long brown hair, an hourglass figure and a cocked eyebrow.

"There's no school today, shouldn't you be at home Miss...?"

"Lane, Lois Lane, and I'm a college student at Metro-U, Chloe Sullivan's cousin. I've been given a pass to come onto campus." She showed her visitors badge, on a lanyard around her neck. "Jason Teague right? This is a bit of a step down from Central Kansas A & M isn't it?"

This girl was well informed, Jason felt strangely violated.

"Yeah, _Coach_ Jason Teague, and no, not at all, _The Crows_ are as good as any college team, in fact quite a few of our players are being scouted."

"Still, gotta be a bit lonely" she said, stepping forward "Out here on your own, in a small town, cut off from civilisation with only High school kids for company?"

Jason was not comfortable with Lois Lane invading his personal space. She picked up his whistle to examine it, and looked up with a smirk. Jason took his whistle out of her hand and created distance.

"No, in fact I love it here; it's refreshing to be in such a small place, friendlier. I grew up in Metropolis; it's so harsh and impersonal there. The guys here are like my brothers."

"Sure, brotherly love is great, but wouldn't you prefer more _adult_ company? I'm going to be around for a few days..."

At that moment Lucas Lang broke off from the formation at the sight of Jason talking to a strange girl. He jogged over.

"CJ, we've done the laps, what's next?"

Jason smiled brightly at Lucas "Tell everyone to break into twos and start tackling manoeuvres, the lions are famous for their offence."

"Sure CJ!"

Jason watched as Lucas ran back to the rest of the group to relay the instructions, while Lois watched him with a raised eyebrow. Jason suddenly remembered she was there and said:

"Sorry, you were saying?"

"Nevermind, it's my mistake" she said, raising her hands in mock surrender. Lois walked away proudly to a puzzled Jason Teague, who then turned back to his team.

Jason Teague has other things to worry about, his mother was coming for the Thanksgiving game tomorrow.

Everything had to be perfect.

...

Ring...ring...ring...ring

Martha dusted flour off her hands and reached for the phone, sighing to see that the white powder still coated the surface.

"Hello?"

"Martha, sweetheart, it's your father."

"Oh, hello Dad, how are you?"

"I'm doing as fine as I ever have. Listen, I've been invited to a Charity Event in Gotham, it'll be on 3rd of December, a weekend, and as I have a plus-one I thought Clara would like to be my guest. I know Clara wanted to do some practical things to repay me for her scholarship fund, and as she had expressed an interest in journalism she may want to write about visiting the event for her paper. There will be a lot of influential people there; it'd be good for her to get some exposure. Also, I'll be visiting one of my big clients and I'll need a note taker, it would be beneficial to Clara to see how the corporate world works. If she wants, I can take her to visit Gotham University too, to see if she'd like to go there, she has a lot of choices to make soon."

Martha was stunned, when her father had said Clara would be coming to events with him she thought they'd be in the same state!

"Dad I'm sure she'd love to, I'll tell her. Is this a black tie event?"

"Yes, I'll send some money along so you can take her to town to buy her some things. Now don't argue Martha, this is my invitation, I'll pay all the expenses. My only pre-requisite is formal wear, this is above all a business event."

"I'm sure we can arrange something Dad."

"I have to go Martha, I have a meeting, good day."

"Goodbye Dad, I love you."

Martha clicked off the phone and looked at the door as she heard the sound of Jonathan's truck.

Clara walked in the front door carrying some empty pie trays, they got a lot of orders at this time of year. Martha would make them but not bake them, instead she froze them, and then people could cook them on the day. It was a nice little earner around the holidays.

"Clara-Lily, you just got an invitation from your Grandfather..."

Clara listened to her with rapt attention, Clara had never been out of Kansas, unless you counted arriving to Earth. An invitation to a Charity Event in Gotham, the opportunity to go to another state and experience another city, and with her Grandfather.

It seemed Clara Kent was going to Gotham.

**...**

A Green clad figure sat at his computer in a glass covered pent house, scrolling through the Museum News updates looking for the Blue Diamond. The necklace in question was a Blue Diamond which had been stolen from a temple in India, set, and made into a necklace, before being sold on the black market. The Temple had believed it was a tear from their God, they were distraught by its theft. The figure had traced the necklace's various buyers and finally hit the jackpot, the latest owner, Luthor Corp.

Lionel Luthor was a piece of work, he had shady dealings with hundreds of different criminal organisations, giving him rare items, stolen from their original owners. He particularly had close ties to Morgan Edge, a major Metropolis crime lord. Lionel Luthor had a strange proclivity for geological phenomena, the figure had traced several crystals and rocks from their original owners, but they were legitimately bought. That wasn't the Green mans focus, the necklace was what he wanted.

_Daily Planet Online_: "Luthor Corp Loans Rare Blue Diamond Necklace to Gotham Museum of History in Aid of the Wayne Foundation for Gotham Orphans."

The Charity event for the opening of the exhibition would be on the 3rd of December at Gotham Museum, the necklace would be on display.

The figure smiled, the screen reflected off his black sunglasses, highlighting the handsome face within the green hood.

The figure stood, slung his quiver onto his back and picked up his bow.

Luthor would be dealt with. For now, there were other apples to shoot.

The figure stood up, walking to the window with a skyline view of Star City, shot a line and zipped down.

He didn't see the Martian Man Hunter walk out of the shadows, glance at the screen, smile, and return to them.

Every Hero needs a team.

**Author's Note: *Hides behind Clara* Please review!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville, DC or the Lawrence High School Chesty Lions. **

**Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait, volunteering and all, Happy Mother's Day! (For the UK at least!) and Happy St Patrick's Day for yesterday to all the other paddies out there! I've Googled some historical info for this chapter, sorry if it isn't 100% accurate, as I've been relying on Wiki!**

Chapter 21: Feel the Burn

Thanksgiving Thursday meant two things for Smallville, Food and Football. Everyone would meet with their families, have their Turkey, and then get ready to go the Turkey Bowl. Well almost everyone, one person would be alone today, Coach Arnold. Coach Arnold had never gone in for the sissy family stuff, women only ever harped on at him for is drinking, he's made the mistake of getting married in his twenties but divorce had cured him of that disaster. His life had only ever been about sports, and more importantly, winning. His father, the old bastard, had taught him two things, losers never get anywhere, and if there was someone in your way you crushed them. He'd had an illustrious sports coaching career spanning 25 years following those words, no one had dared question him. But now, the namby pamby, touchy, feely types were trying to say he was old hack, past it, and put a kid barely out of braces in his place.

If someone got in your way you _crushed_ them.

If that little asshole Kwan had brought Teague in as an assistant, maybe he could have handled it, but he'd named him Co-Coach, that was not allowed. But the kid was like rubber, taking every insult, every order, and the team were excelling with his new techniques. So Coach Arnold had gone back to an old standby.

Coach Arnold had been the bully at school, pummelling the smaller kids, he was the one who pulled the wings of flies, used magnifying glasses on ants...and played with matches.

As an adult, he'd kept his fascination with fire, even taking a side job committing arson so people could make insurance claims on dead-end properties. Farmer's were rich in land and buildings, but they didn't make all that much, in the 90's quite a few had cut their losses and asked for help, he'd obliged.

But even torching Teague's car hadn't stopped him, he was from money, he just got a new one.

So he's bided his time, becoming more and more humiliated as Teague wheedled himself into every aspect of the school, taking over, even the football players liked him. A leader shouldn't be liked, he should be respected, or even feared.

When Teague had signed up for the Horror Maze, he'd thought it would be his chance to really show him up. But he'd had a little too much to drink, and turned up after everyone had already left. He'd stumbled around, looking at the monstrosity that Teague had erected; he should have spent his time on something more productive. It was near pitch black in there, and he'd tripped over a rubber Alien that had fallen off the hay bales, and cut his hands on the stupid glowing rocks that Teague had strewn around, he'd been so drunk he couldn't get up, and fell asleep in the Teague's freakin' Roswell nightmare.

The next morning he woke up feeling feverish. His hands were cut up, the shards of rock he was sure he had in them were gone. He'd stumbled to his car and driven home. For the rest of the week he had a high fever, living off a liquid diet and watching re-runs of his greatest games. Finally, he decided to try and fry something, he'd gotten the bacon, turned on the stove, and then gotten a phone call. It was freaking Kwan again, asking why he wasn't in work.

"I'm taking my sick days Principal Kwan, I'm owed around 20 years worth, I'm cashing in!"

"That's fine Arnold, I would have appreciated it if you'd notified either myself or Jason, he's been bearing all the load in your absence."

You bet he had.

"I'll be back at work after Thanksgiving, I have a project to finish up."

"Alright Arnold, take care of yourself, if you need to take a sabbatical, just let me know. I'm sure Jason can take over."

Freaking Jason Teague and Kwan, why couldn't they just back off! Those stupid, yellow little...

At that moment, the flames on the stove flared higher than any setting should allow, and when Arnold jumped in surprise they stopped.

He didn't think anything of it, it was just a fluke, the house was old and the gas works were in need of fine tuning.

But then, later that night, when he was making dinner, beans, his thoughts went back to the conversation with Kwan, the smirk on Teague's face during practice, him laughing with Lang and the others...

The flames suddenly came to life again, and as he watched, they stayed there, and somehow he knew.

He'd practised, with his old lighter and trees from the wood, he could will the fire, shape it, spread it.

He was powerful again.

If someone gets in your way, you crush them.

His old man had been half right, but he'd add an addendum.

If they are too big to crush, your _burn _them.

Thanksgiving meant two things in Smallville, food and football.

He'd be going to the game after all.

Things would go his way again real soon.

...

Thanksgiving Dinner at the Kent Family Farm was always lavish, even though there were only three of them. Clara could eat enough for four people, and there would still be leftovers for a few days. Despite her many attempts to the contrary, Martha could not convince her father to come to dinner, he had conference calls all day to Japan for a client of his. Martha knew the real reason, Thanksgiving had been one of her mother's favourite occasions, she made a big effort, and her father hadn't celebrated it since she passed. Martha understood, even if she wasn't happy about it. She didn't know what she'd do if she ever lost Jonathan, but God willing she wouldn't have to worry about it for years to come.

They had the usual meal, with all the trimmings, as everyone in Smallville did, around 3pm. That gave enough time for it to settle before the Turkey Bowl at 7pm.

Football was a big deal on Thanksgiving, it allowed Smallville and its neighbour Lawrence to exercise some of their demons. In the early 18th Century Smallville and Lawrence has been united in their abolitionist beliefs, but in May 1856 a pro-slavery posse led by Lawrence Sheriff Samuel J. Jones attacked two anti-slavery newspapers and businesses. Abolitionist John Brown retaliated in what would become known as the Pottawatomie Massacre. Smallville, despite its abolitionist ties to Lawrence, couldn't abide with the action, and an enmity existed from then onward. After it passed out of living memory, the rivalry became less moral and more petty. Lawrence became a large city, and the University of Kansas was founded there in 1865, while Smallville stuck to its name. There were more schools, economic opportunities and prosperity in Lawrence than Smallville, yet Smallville consistently beat them in Football and High School Sports. Now it was a sports rivalry and more a running joke than real enmity, but the grudge match's between Lawrence and Smallville remained. Lawrence High School had taken up the mantle, while Lawrence Free State High School remained neutral, and so the Chesty Lions and the Crows had met on the field of contest for over a hundred years, in every sport imaginable, but particularly for Turkey Bowl.

So now the people of Smallville were assembling at "The Nest", filing into the stands while jeering amiably at the Away section. It was Smallville's year to host, next year the Crows would go to "The Den". As both the Crows and the Chesty Lions colours were red and black, the Chesty Lions were in their Away shirts of Gold and Black. It was another point of enmity as to which school had claimed the colours first, both were founded in 1857 and their official Mascots weren't announced until the 1930's. Chesty and Corny were already on the field, raising ire from their opposing fans. Clara took her usual seat with her parents, her mother had brought a blanket and her father was in his old Football coat, not many people's Dad's could fit into the same jacket they did when they were 18. Martha had brought a picnic basket of Turkey, Cranberry and Stuffing sandwiches, as well as pie, as she always did, and a flask of hot chocolate.

Clara could see Jason on the side lines, scouting out the opposing coach, as the teams began to assemble on the field for the coin toss. He waved at someone near the front, and Clara saw a woman with long brown hair, in what looked like an expensive jacket wave back, maybe that was his Mum?

Clara saw no sign of Lex, and he hadn't been answering texts all week, maybe he was visiting family? Clara tried to imagine Lex and Lionel Luthor sitting at opposite ends of the long dining table at Luthor Mansion and it was an odd picture. Clara didn't know if Lex's mother Lillian had any living family, probably not. She hoped he was alright; the holidays were always the hardest time for people without close families.

The corner of Clara's eye caught sight of Chloe by the front, taking photographs of the teams assembling on the field, with Lois in tow. Just then, Mr Sullivan arrived on their bench.

"Gabe" said Jonathan amicably, "grab a pew, we've saved you a space."

"Much obliged Jonathan" said Gabe Sullivan, carrying a tray of corn dogs and drinks.

"The girls are just doing a little journalism before they come up, Chloe wanted Lois to see small town journalism at work."

"That's great, you have two nieces don't you?"

"Yes, but Lucy is still high school age, and their father is stationed in Washington right now, so Lois decided to come to us instead."

Clara felt strange every time she remembered Lois had a younger sister, it made her seem more human. Yes, pot calling kettle black but still. She'd never actually met Lucy, who was always with their father, but it must be hard not being with your family at the holiday's. Come to think of it, she'd never met Lois's Dad either, but from what Chloe hinted, he was a formidable guy.

Gabe Sullivan and her parents were making small talk about Lex's plant while Clara looked out at the crowd, Gabe worked at Lex's plant, it felt strange to think one of her best friends employed another's father.

"Hey Red, Happy Thanksgiving"

Clara's insides jolted as she realised Lex had sidled in next to her while she wasn't looking.

"Lex! Happy Thanksgiving!"

She hugged him tight as he patted her back, before greeting the Kent's and Mr Sullivan, Jonathan nodded and Martha shook hands happily, Gave Sullivan greeted him but looked slightly uncomfortable to see him there, and a little culture shocked.

Lex sat next to Clara, on the opposite side to her parents.

"Sorry I couldn't answer your texts this week, I've been closing a real estate deal that turned out to be more complicated then I anticipated."

"That's alright, I was just worried about you. How did you spend your Thanksgiving?"

"Well, Chef Carl made a veritable feast for me yesterday and put it in the fridge for me. I gave the staff the day off. I had a lot of work to do so it was a working lunch."

"You were on your own?"

Lex smiled at her concern and shook his head.

"It's not an unusual occurrence Clara. My family haven't had a real Thanksgiving since my mother passed. Even then, my Father wasn't fond of family gatherings."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm here now aren't I? So, tell me the history of this little grudge match."

Clara felt grateful for the subject change, she didn't like seeing Lex upset, and although he didn't reveal it, she knew he was uncomfortable talking about his family. So she was glad to talk about more historical problems.

Clara's mother offered Lex a sandwich, which he took gratefully, smiling at her warmly. There were times when Martha Kent, with her warm nature and fiery hair, reminded him very much of his own mother, Lillian. Especially today.

The coin toss was about to take place when Chloe and Lois walked into the seats next to Lex and Clara. Clara gave a start, she was absorbed in her talk with Lex and felt like they had snuck up on her.

"Hey Clara, Lex! Lois, this is Lex Luthor, he's one of Clara's friends."

"I know who he is Chloe." Lois stuck out her hand confidently. "Lois Lane, Metro-U Post and Metropolis Inquisitor, I've read all about the boy billionaire out here in the wild from Chloe's Newspaper. How about after all this we have an interview about your time here?"

"Thank you Miss Lane, but I think your cousin Chloe's done a brilliant job with her interviews so far, I'm just here to relax, not have a press conference."

"Lois, please."

"Lois then, let's just enjoy the game. It's a holiday, anything else can wait."

"Sure Luthor Junior, but you'll find I get what I want."

"So do I"

The horn sounded, and the formations began. Chloe and Clara sat down, Chloe next to Lex and Lois by her side, while Mr Sullivan passed along their drinks and food.

Clara suddenly felt a great tide of warmth towards Lex, he'd just turned Lois down flat, no one ever did that. Lex sneakily looked over at her and raised his eyebrow in mock question, and Clara mouthed "Later".

Lois was a spirited sports fan, hollering advice and criticism with the best of the crowd. Clara supposed they did have their love of Football in common, if she had to admit they had shared anything apart from Chloe.

Everything was peaceful until halftime; Jason patted the guys on the back as they ran back to the changing rooms, high fiving Lucas as he went by. Then Jason went in with them to give them their talk. Halftime was usually forty-five minutes and both teams of cheerleaders were lining up on opposite sides of the fields to have a cheer-off. Clara caught sight of Whitney leading her team, looking thinner than before and quite pale. She scanned the crowd and saw that The Fordman's weren't at the game, she wondered why.

The Chesty Lions Cheerleaders made a good show, they were precise, light footed and fast, then it was Smallville's turn. Jason and his opposing coach were back and watching the show while the teams stewed over their advice in the locker room. Then Clara saw a flash of fire.

Whitney had distributed batons, and now they were on fire! The girls did formation movements, careful of the flames but they'd obviously practiced. It was definitely a good show.

Everyone gave them a standing ovation afterwards, and as the Cheerleader's filed off, Jason stuck his hand out to shake Whitney's as she was the last off, but she just shoved the still flaming baton at him and marched off with the others.

Then, all of a sudden, the lightly flaming baton became a full blaze, causing Jason's coaches jacket to catch on fire and him to drop the baton on the field. Jason quickly shrugged off his jacket, which was still alight, and rolled on the floor. But the fire spread unnaturally, the flames from the baton licking at Jason's heels and swelling to cover part of the football field creating an arch around Jason. The crowd started screaming as the flames began to spread to the front benches. Suddenly Clara and everyone else, were on their feet, Lex had instinctively moved slightly in front of Clara, as her parents had done, while Lois has grabbed Chloe's camera and was snapping, moving forward. The crowd began to run, evacuating the stands, and the woman Clara though was Jason's mother made to go onto the pitch, before being grabbed by Sheriff Ethan and forced to evacuate with everyone else, she fought the whole way. Mr Sullivan jumped onto the upper bench and grabbed Chloe, who in turn gave Clara a significant look as she grabbed Lois, who protested as they fled the stands. Chloe was giving Clara her opening. Martha and Jonathan began to urge Lex away, but as he saw Clara begin to step forward he grabbed her arm.

"You can't go down there!"

"Remember your promise, trust me! I've got this!"

Lex looked into her eyes, then looked resigned, and allowed Martha and Jonathan to escort him away from the flames.

"Sweetie be careful!" said her mother as they fled the oncoming flames.

Clara shirked her red leather jacket, leaving it on her seat, the front four rows of benches were aflame and Clara saw no sign of anyone, even those who had rushed to help had been evacuated from the area by the school staff. Clara could see Jason, alone in an unnatural circle of flame, but wait, he wasn't alone, a parting emerged in the flame, and then closed, someone was with him!

Clara rushed down, but couldn't see a way through the flames that was explainable, Jason was still alive in there, she had to find a way to get in!

"Jason!" she shouted, but heard no reply, but the flames directly in front of her moved violently backwards as if by a strong wind. Thinking on the spot Clara drew air into her lungs and blew with all her might, and a part of the wall of fire was momentarily extinguished, Clara ran in before it closed behind her. Jason had his arm partly across his face, his was on the ground and coughing badly from the smoke as Coach Arnold stood over him.

"Just couldn't stay in your place could you! Had to be the big man on campus, well if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen!"

The flames rose higher, and drew in closer, Clara could feel their blistering heat.

Clara saw Coach Arnold was sweating too, and he had burn marks on his hands.

"Coach Arnold, you have to stop!"

He started round in surprise.

"What are you doing in here Kent? This doesn't concern you girl, leave!"

A doorway in the flames opened, but Clara didn't move.

"You can't do this, Jason hasn't done anything!"

"Oh, he's done plenty! Made me look like an old fool in front of all the staff, the freakin' kids! I get no respect round here anymore! They thought I was burned out. But I have to thank you Teague, your little Roswell maze is responsible for relighting my fire! I've heard about meteor rock giving wacko's abilities, but I never dreamed I could get something this good! If I can do this with one exposure, then what'll the team be able to do once I add the rocks to the sauna? We'll be invincible, it's untraceable!"

Jason looked at him in horror.

"You're insane, you can't give this stuff to the team! It's dangerous, look what it's done to you! You'll never get away with it!"

"Once you're gone, who's going to stop me? Kwan? The little twerp is going to start seeing things my way real soon, and if not, then he'll get a little trial by fire."

The flames closed in further, and were licking at Clara's back, she had to get Jason out. Clara realised while he was ranting Coach Arnold hadn't closed the door in the fire.

Jason saw that burns on Coach Arnold too, he looked to Clara, who looked right at him, then moved her eyes to the gap in the flames, it seems she had an idea.

Jason stood up, coughing as he did so, once he had his footing Clara moved forward, catching Coach Arnold's attention, Jason took the opening and tackled him to the ground, they landed by the flames, Arnold's jacket caught fire and the flames multiplied in his fury, Jason rolled off and Clara grabbed his shirt and they stumbled to the exit, Clara pushed Jason in front of her and gave a shove that caused him to fly a few feet forward and out of harms way, he hit his head on the landing and lay still on the ground, unconscious. But at least he was safe. Clara turned around to see Coach Arnold scream as the fire crept up his arm, consuming his body, one impulse she tried to blow it out, but it kept multiplying, and her heart sunk as she knew it was too late, then there was an explosion, and Coach Arnold was gone, as well as the fire, all that remained was ash and the charred remains of the bottom of the stands.

Clara rushed to Jason, who was stirring, and she heard the fire brigade arriving, followed quickly by the ambulance and the police.

Clara was wrapped in a blanket, and she realised her shirt was charred to pieces, and suddenly Lex and her parents were around her, her mother had retrieved her jacket, and Clara was acutely aware that Lex was near as her mother helped her zip up the jacket under her blanket. Jonathan Kent put an arm around his daughter once it was done.

"I'm fine, it was Coach Arnold, he was meteor infected, he could control fire! But he wasn't immune, he burned himself to death."

Clara looked over to Jason, who was on a stretcher with paramedics, he must have a concussion. He was being fussed over by a beautiful woman, who for some odd reason Clara though looked like Dr Quinn Medicine Woman. She was examining him in the same way that her parents had examined her, working around the EMT's.

"Why would he do something like this?" asked Lex, who was also looking over at Jason's companion with recognition on his face.

"He said Jason was upstaging him, he wanted control of the team back."

"Power is often the best motivation for bad deeds" Lex said grimly, he had experience of this kind of high handed behaviour.

Sheriff Ethan came over, and suddenly Clara was whisked away for a verbal statement.

This had been a very odd Thanksgiving, she'd saved Jason Teague's life, again, and for the first time in her own, seen someone die.

But looking over Sheriff Ethan's shoulder at her parents, who stood with Lex, and an approaching Mr Sullivan, Chloe and even at Lois, who was heading in Jason's direction with a camera, she knew she had a lot to be thankful for.

Clara didn't notice the significant glances Jason's mother was giving to Lex and herself when not looking at Jason.

Genevieve Teague didn't know that Lex Luthor _had_ noticed. He also noticed that Clara's parents had let her run into the line of fire, literally, and that while Teague has minor burns, Clara had no blemishes. For this he was grateful, a promise was a promise, he would keep to it, he wouldn't question, he wouldn't investigate, but that didn't mean he would discount what he saw with his own eyes.

Clara Kent was a special girl and he didn't like the Teague's interest in her, at all.

Clara hadn't said not to investigate anyone else.

Luthor's are Lords of the Loophole.

**Author's Note: Thanks for all your reviews, let's have more please! Hope you liked it!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I do not own DC, Smallville or Batman!**

**Author's Note: I am basing my Batman of the canon and Batman The Animated Series Batman, although I do like the Christopher Nolan the ultra realism of it doesn't chime with Smallville. Sorry for the long wait, I've been very busy volunteering. This chapter is in loving memory of my Dog Pip, who sadly passed away at age 14 today, Love you Pip xxxxx**

Chapter 22

It wasn't travelling out of Kansas for the first time since she fell into it that worried Clara. It wasn't leaving her parents, spending time with her estranged Grandfather, or even meeting new people in a strange place. It was flying there. All of her life she'd had an aversion to heights, no matter how irrational it was seeing as she was virtually indestructible. The passport her parents had applied for when she turned sixteen had laid gathering dust in her parents safe, now it was getting its first airing. She just couldn't get over the fear of falling, maybe she had subconscious memories of her trip to earth, crashing in a spacecraft had to be traumatic for a toddler.

It was funny, she could pull a billionaire out of a submerged car, run into fire for a friend, and now apparently had super-breath, (she didn't really know what else to call it), but she was terrified to walk up those plane steps. Her Grandfather had paid for First Class to Gotham, her parents had driven her to Metropolis International Airport, meeting William Clark there. She had one small suitcase checked in, and her Grandfather had guided her to the first class lounge, she was the youngest person there, she'd self consciously smoothed her three quarter length sleeve blouse and was thankful her mother had taken her out to get some business clothes. She wasn't entirely comfortable in the dark blue business trousers and pinstriped blue and white blouse, but she liked how adult she looked in them. There'd be no jeans and plaid sighted this weekend, she supposed once she became a journalist she'd be dressing like this a lot. She'd kept the comfort of the kryptonian necklace, she'd found herself wearing the symbol of the house of El almost every day now. Quite a few of the business women she saw on the plane had chunky or flashy jewellery on, so her silver symbol was rather understated in comparison.

When she had sat in the seat she'd taken time to enjoy the opulence of the space, she wondered if Lex owned a plane, he probably did. It would probably be a jet of some kind, and most likely far more sumptuous.

Clara was fine until they were preparing for takeoff, she'd absorbed herself in the different buttons, and watching the flight attendants give the safety messages, then it had hit home they were going into the air. Her mother must have had a few words with her Grandfather, because he wordlessly took her hand and held it until they were level in the air. Then, he'd given her a guidebook of Gotham and taken out some of his law papers. William Clark, despite his profession, often made his greatest gestures with silence. It was irrational, but knowing he was there with her gave her the courage to look out the window, and then she had a revelation. They were just over the level of the clouds, which were sparse, and the sun was reflecting off the buildings causing them to shine. Suddenly, flying wasn't as scary, it was almost, beautiful.

Clara read through some of the Guidebook, it seemed that Wayne Enterprises owned most of Gotham, just like Luthorcorp did Metropolis. Gotham was older than Metropolis, and like its counterpart had both good and bad areas, but unlike Metropolis, Gotham had been gone through hard economic times. The guidebook was putting a positive spin on things. She'd become interested in Gotham when they'd gotten a Dark Knight, it seemed that the city was split economically, the poor and the large majority of the criminal element lived in the peninsula of the Narrows, which included Arkham Asylum and the prison. The main city was separated by a river and retractable bridges. Gotham had suffered major economic depression in the last 40 years, it had reached all walks of life, even the Wayne family had suffered, she had Chloe had read an article about how Bruce Wayne's parents had been shot by a criminal for their money and jewellery behind a theatre. It was now known as "Crime Alley".

It seemed that even billionaire's suffered tragedy, Lex's mother Lillian had died untimely too, but that was from illness. Clara couldn't imagine what it would be like to watch your family die in front of you; she hoped she would never have to.

From what she'd read of Bruce Wayne, he's spent the majority of his life abroad, before returning to Gotham in his early thirties and adopting a teenager, Richard Grayson, whose parents were killed in a trapeze accident. He was a skilled businessman, with a large philanthropic streak. He was hosting the museum gala she and her Grandfather were attending, in association with Luthorcorp, for Gotham Orphanage. It seemed Bruce Wayne had a soft spot for orphans.

Clara, during her flight, has asked her Grandfather who his client was, that he's been invited to such an event.

"Oh, I'm going on behalf of Swan Communications, Dr Swann has been a client of mine for decades, but due to his disabilities he cannot travel often. So, he will either send myself or his daughter Patricia in his place. Patricia is in Japan right now, closing a business deal, so he asked me to go along, to represent his interests, Wayne Tech and Swan Communications have a long standing business agreement."

Clara has been stunned, it was a very small world, Dr Virgil Swann, the man who had reintroduced her to her Kryptonian heritage, has her Grandfather as his lawyer?

"I don't just deal with criminal law, I've branched out into business law, and copyright. There's an upcoming technology deal between Wayne Tech and Swann Communications, as you'll be in the meeting this Sunday, you'll know it is to do with the construction of a new satellite. It will be the largest ever seen, if the deal goes through, I'm here to close it."

Clara was suddenly very interested, Dr Swann, who was interested in the extraterrestrial, was building a new satellite with Wayne Tech. What for?

"Yes, the JL Satellite project should be very lucrative."

The flight took three hours, Clara had glanced through the guide book, and the switched on the in flight entertainment in the screen in front of her, put on the headphones, and watched "Elekra", it was nothing like the comic, and really a waste of time. She was quite disappointed, she wondered if Lex had seen it.

Speaking of Superheroes, she wondered if there would be any chance of seeing the illusive Gotham Batman.

The Pilots voice came over the intercom, they were in Gotham airspace and preparing to land.

Clara looked out the window, to see a stark contrast of Art Deco opulence and run down shanty town, separated by a river.

"Good Morning Ladies and Gentleman, it is 11:45am PST, we are landing in Gotham International Airport and it is a frigid 10 Degrees outside. Thank You for using Metropolis Airlines."

Clara held her Grandfather's hand as they descended, feeling the change in pressure. He guided her expertly to baggage claim and then into a hired car, it was expensive looking. The buildings looked much older than in Metropolis, Art Deco sharp lines, interspersed with small Victorian apartment blocks and Revolutionary War city halls. Gotham was as old as the 1680's, named by the English settlers who'd founded it. Clara's Grandfather smiled quietly to himself over his PDA as she rubbernecked, Small Town Girl in the Big City.

The Gotham Intercontinental Hotel was amazing, a small Luxury skyscraper where her Grandfather had gotten them rooms. Clara was slightly unnerved by all the staff, taking their bags to the room, pandering to them and her Grandfather tipping them. Clara could have gotten her things to her room and unpacked them herself. She didn't really understand why they needed to. By the time they had signed in, and received the tour of services, someone had hung up all her clothes and packed them away, including her underwear, Clara felt very odd about that.

"Clara, the Gala starts at 7pm, there will be a buffet, but if you're hungry beforehand call room service, get whatever you like. The same for the TV or any movies. I'll be making some calls in the business centre, just ask a member of staff if you need to find me."

It was 2pm, 4 hours before they would need to leave, so Clara double checked she had everything she needed, and decided she would start getting ready at around 4pm, to leave time for wardrobe and hair disasters. In the meantime, she'd do something she didn't do often, watch television.

The local news channel was talking about the falling crime rate, and they had two Psychiatrists bickering over whether Batman or the Police were the cause.

"_Batman, if anything, is causing more crime by inspiring vigilantism and so called "Super-Criminals" like the Joker and Two-Face!"_

The man who said this was mid-50's, completely grey, with thick glasses and had a mad look about him.

"_Yet, petty crime and street crime has reduced substantially with him as a deterrent!" _

This man seemed even older, nearly in his 80's, balding and grim looking, yet he still talked emphatically.

"_Anyone who goes around dressed as a Bat isn't psychiatrically sound! I myself would personally treat him! He should hand himself in and leave crime fighting to the professionals!"_

"_The professionals who have proven to be corrupt and often cannot prevent crime, only deal with the aftermath. Crime prevention has risen considerably due to The Batman's intervention! He even apprehended one of my most high profile patients, the serial killer Victor Zsas, when the police had absolutely no leads. Now he's receiving the care he needs for his psychosis." _

The female presenter decided to intervene, she was a pretty red-head in a green suit.

"_And I'm afraid that's all we have time for! Thank you, Dr Hugo Strange and Dr Jeremiah Arkham. Next on Gotham's "The Scene": All Gotham's best and brightest will be turned out for the Wayne Tech – Luthor Corp Charity Gala at Gotham Museum in aid of Gotham Orphanage. Slated to be there tonight are celebrity billionaires such as Lionel Luthor, Oliver Queen and our very own Bruce Wayne. The focus tonight will be on a rare blue diamond necklace donated by Luthor Corp for the event. Blue diamonds are some of the rarest in existence ..."_

Vicki Vale, (that was the reporters name on the screen), chattered on about the rarity of Blue Diamonds, and had a representative from the museum with her.

Lionel Luthor was going to be there tonight, she'd completely overlooked the fact he was the donor, of course he would. Clara fingered the symbol around her neck, Chloe and she still wanted access to the Kawatche caves, and the only way to get in would be to ask permission from him. This would be a perfect opportunity, but at the same time, the animosity between Lex and his father made her pause, as well as his history with her parents. It was never a good idea to get involved with Lionel Luthor, or to owe him a favour, she had to avoid his notice.

Still, she needed to get to those caves...

_The Scene_ went to an advert break, and she decided to order some lunch, having fun looking at the menu and anxiously picking up the phone. Twenty minutes later a man wheeled a cart in with her BLT sandwich, and she handed him $5 as her Grandfather had. She'd felt very awkward about the whole exchange.

She'd examined the guidebook more, looked at the view, and finally decided to check out the en suite bathroom. It was white and pristine, and she had a long bath with the complementary bubble bath, before starting to get ready.

It had taken a while to get the right dress for tonight. Martha and Clara had scoured countless stores looking for something modest, classy, but not too grown up. Clara carefully opened the garment bag and examined it, feeling in awe of the silk material. They'd decided on royal blue, as you don't wear crimson red to a gala with your Grandfather! It was a wrap dress, with full length sleeves and a knee length skirt. She had matching ballet flats, as she was tall enough as it was at 5 ft 11 without heels!

As 6 approached she brushed her curls and pulled the top half back in a new hair grip. She didn't need makeup. She checked her appearance in the mirror, classy and respectable, but not too grown-up. She grabbed her matching purse, and her shawl, and her blue coat, and her Grandfather knocked on the door.

It was time for a night in Gotham.

**Author's Note: Hope you liked it! Please review!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I don't own DC, Smallville, Superman, Batman, Green Arrow, or any of them! I would be a very wealthy woman if I did!**

**Author's Note: Thank you all for your wonderful reviews, 182 is unprecedented! Here's Clara's night in Gotham, where it seems all the villains and caped crusaders are out in their alter egos, with different agendas!**

Chapter 23: The Gala – Part 1

Bruce Wayne sat in front of the computer, sifting through the guest list for tonight's Gala. Luthor, Queen, Teague, big names with big secrets, and even bigger grudges against one another. He'd researched them all, knew their demons and their weaknesses, the skeletons in the closets. He'd get to them eventually. Then there were the unknowns, like Clara Kent, granddaughter of William Clark. Clark checked out, well known lawyer, straight and narrow, a Shark of the corporate and criminal courts. He was coming in the stead of Dr Virgil Swann, a brilliant mind, to close the JL Satellite deal with Wayne Enterprises. Swann had a peculiar interest in the extra-terrestrial, and Bruce had an interest in his technology.

Clara Kent seemed simple enough on the surface, a few key taps and there were her transcripts and her school records. Model student, reporter for the school paper, extra-curricular charity work and she baked pies for farmer's markets. Then there was her connection to Lex Luthor, a mysterious rescue from a sinking car, caved metal, and to Teague, she literally pulled him out of the fire twice. Yet, no hospital records, no sick days, and adoption papers made by a Luthor Corp subsidiary. No paperwork for her birth parents, no trail, she just appeared into existence at age 3, a few weeks after the Kansas Meteor Shower.

_When you have eliminated the impossible, __whatever remains_, _however improbable__, must be the truth_

Kent, Luthor, Queen and Teague.

The Great Detective, The Dark Knight, had a busy time ahead of him.

Alfred walked down the steps into the cave, closely followed by Rick Grayson.

"Your tux is ready upstairs Master Wayne. I trust you won't be needing a change of attire tonight?"

"Thank you Alfred. The standby suit is already in the Museum, so I can patrol after the Gala ends. Rick, I'm afraid you'll be missing the party. Nightwing will be having his first flight tonight. Stay close to the Museum, I have a feeling we'll have trouble."

The black haired teenager's eyes widened in delight.

"Really Bruce?"

"You've earned it. I'm trusting you to take this seriously."

"I won't let you down!"

"Just stay professional, and we won't rename you "Robin"."

...

Gotham at night, through the windows of the hired car, looked far more sinister than Metropolis. It was as if it was awash with sickness, as they passed by alleys filled with gangs, Police officers taking bribes, and the screams of victims, the wailing of sirens. William Clark didn't hear any of this, he was focused on his Blackberry, but after night fell, Clara could. There seemed to be so much pain here, but she couldn't do anything about it. But as she saw the bat projected into the sky, she knew someone else was.

This wasn't her city, it was Batman's domain.

The Gotham Museum, lit up in its faux-Greek glory, was a stark contrast to the sinister cramped spaces of the urban landscape. The area was surrounded by lush gardens, and a perimeter wall of white stone to separate it from the rest of the city. Security swarmed the building, with spotlights, armed guards, and a red carpet surrounded by barriers separating the press and public from the celebrities and VIP's as they exited their cars. Clara had never seen such a frenzied clamour of flashes and shouts. Was this what happened to Lex every time he went to an event like this? She felt very out of place, like an imposter.

The car in front of them pulled up, and a blonde haired main exited to loud applause and some screams of excitement. Clara couldn't see his face but we was tall, athletic, and dressed in an expensive tux.

"_Mr Queen! Mr Queen! Could you face the camera?"_

"_Oliver! Oliver! Over here! One for the Gotham Times?"_

Oliver Queen? The name was familiar, hadn't Lex mentioned him once?

Then it was their cars turn, and Clara's Grandfather told her to smile as they exited to a borage of flashes. Clara saw the red haired show host, Vicki Vale, was standing with a camera crew on the red carpet interviewing Mr Queen, who was halfway to the entrance, even from this distance Clara could see he was handsome, and smiling widely.

Was this what she would do one day? Stand outside events like this with a camera man and bother celebrities? Or would she be in the newsroom, working to deadlines and checking for spelling errors? There was more than one way to be a reporter, and she hoped to be the latter, press conferences aside.

Clara Kent, Star Reporter, hopefully that would be her future. Then she remembered Jor El, and her destiny, and the screams of pain in the city. Could the two fit together? Or would she have to sacrifice one for the other?

Then a cameraman was asking her Grandfather and her to smile and pose, and she complied, but it seemed hollow. It turned out her Grandfather was somewhat of a minor celebrity in the law world, he'd had some very high profile cases.

Thankfully they managed to bypass Vicki Vale and her cameraman, who were still absorbed in Oliver Queen.

The inside of the museum was gargantuan, a high ceiling with glass skylights revealing the stars, marble floors and columns, and red velvet ropes sealing off areas of the museum from the public. Black suited security and red uniformed attendants scanned them with metal detectors and then gave them micro-chipped ID bracelets. Clara felt a little like a criminal, but seeing her shocked face William Clark spoke up:

"Don't worry about it Clara, it's so they can keep track of everyone, this building contains billions worth of historic objects, and they want to know who is meant to be here and who isn't. Think of it as a 21st century hand-stamp. They wouldn't want anyone crashing the party!"

He asked the attendant to wave a machine over her bracelet, and there was a beep, green light, and some text:

_Authorised_

_Miss Clara Kent, + 1 of Mr William Clark – Representative of Swann Communications_

Clara still felt it was very over the top, any ticketed events she'd been to had never required electronic tagging the guests! At most a rubber stamp on the hand or an "X" in red pen!

Speaking of tickets, she still had that year pass to the Metro-Sharks from Lex, she'd need to get some use out of it in the Christmas Holidays.

The thought only really occurred to her as she walked on, as she heard the unmistakeable voice of Lionel Luthor in front of her, her hearing has picked it up over the mumbles of the crowd in the great hall, which had paintings and sculptures by famous artists Clara felt she should know more about. He was across the hall, speaking with a group of politicians she recognised from the television, though she couldn't remember their names. As if sensing her gaze he began to turn, and Clara hurried along to her Grandfather, who ushered her to the refreshments table. He ordered her an orange juice from the bar, and then brought her over to introduce her to someone.

"Clara, this is an old associate of mine, Mr Edward Teague. Edward, this is my Granddaughter, Clara Kent. I believe you son Jason teaches at her high school."

Teague? Surely this wasn't Jason's father?

Edward Teague stiffened at the mention of Jason, Clara got the impression they weren't close, he ignored the comment completely.

"Not much of a resemblance William, but then I'm sure that's in her favour. This is Martha's daughter then? She was a very promising Law Student, before she gave it all up for corn and cattle."

Clara could tell that was a direct slight towards her mother, herself, and her grandfather. William Clark looked sharply at Edward Teague. They were two heavy weight Lawyer's with family baggage, and Clara felt acutely uncomfortable standing there.

How could Jason's Father be so unlike his son?

"Clara, why don't you go get yourself something to eat. Edward and I need to have a few _words_ about a case. If we get separated you can meet me by the entrance."

"Alright Grandpa."

Clara felt a little lost as her Grandfather squared his shoulders and began to talk quickly with Edward Teague. Clara knew she wasn't meant to here that conversation, so she looked at the buffet, and decided to try some things she hadn't had the chance to before. Everything was in small portions, to make them more dainty to bite. To be honest some of the items Clara had no idea what they were. She recognised Caviar, and avoided it, Fish eggs had never sounded appealing, she also avoided the sushi bar, she'd grown up in a meat and veg household. She saw a plate of snails, and almost recoiled, she wasn't xenophobic but some things she just couldn't do. There was a delicious array of prawns, chicken and beef bites, and after she'd tried some, she saw some miniature éclairs and intricately decorated cake pieces.

Oliver Queen watched the pretty tall girl eating from the buffet, all the other debutants and heiresses had bypassed it, but there she was, trying most everything, in flat shoes and with loose hair. She'd come in with William Clark, she'd passed by Oliver on the red carpet, but from the body language he'd seen she wasn't Clark's date.

"Oh my God, she'd such a pig! Those hips don't need to be any wider! Who is she anyway?"

A bleach blonde heiress, Chelsea Seacrest, was standing not far from Oliver with champagne and a chiwawa in both hands. She was a stark contrast to the tall, healthy figured girl with the luscious black hair by the buffet table. She was bleach blond, wraithlike, with very stretched skin on her face. Her companion, a silver haired man who screamed "sugar daddy" answered:

"That's William Clark's granddaughter, from the sticks I hear, a farm in Kansas."

"She's a farm girl? God that's so cliché! What's she doing here?"

"He mentioned to me he was bringing her to see some of Gotham and his business, the girl wants to be a journalist, she's 18 I believe."

"Good Luck with that! She's probably barely literate!"

William Clark, hotshot Corporate and Criminal Lawyer, had a beautiful 18-year-old Granddaughter from a farm in Kansas? It seemed odd to think of William Clark, or "Clark the Shark" as he was known in the Law world, being related to that beautiful corn fed country girl. Oliver definitely had to check this out, he had time before the _main event_, began. He'd stowed away everything he needed a week ago, after closing.

Clara, after a while, moved on from the buffet to look at some of the exhibits. There was a painting she recognised as a Picasso, some Egyptian Vases, and then she stopped in front of a marble statue of an Amazonian Woman, she was athletic, with a robe on, but her large bracelets, bow, and arrow were made of pure gold. Reading the description, the top line said the piece was titled "Hippolyta".

"That's on loan from Themyscira; you got to love a woman with weapons."

Clara whirled round to see the blonde haired man from the red carpet, Oliver Queen. His dark eyes contrasted nicely with his light hair, they were so dark they could have been black.

"Themyscira?"

"It's a little known country in Europe, an island really. They say nearly 90% of the population are female; it's a Matriarchy which shares close links with Greece. Back in the time of sandals and swords it's said the island was a breeding ground for Amazon's. Sounds like my kinds of island."

A country which was mostly women? Why hadn't she heard of it before?

"Sorry, I forgot my manners, I'm Oliver Queen."

He stuck out his hand and she took it, shaking it firmly. He was surprised to see her slight recognition was not followed by the calculating look most women gave him.

"Clara Kent"

His handshake was firm, and she was relieved he hadn't tried to kiss her hand.

"So what brings you to this shindig?"

"Oh, my Grandpa brought me, he's over there with Mr Teague."

Oliver looked over, seeing William Clark in heated debate with Edward Teague. He'd played with his kid, Jason, some when they were small. Edward Teague had a perpetual stick up his ass.

"William Clark? Your Grandpa is "Clark the Shark?""

Clara blinked at him, Clark the Shark? She couldn't reconcile the name to the man who'd given her a stuffed toy as a child.

"Clark the Shark?"

"Let's just say I wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of the courtroom when you're Grandpa's concerned, he'll rip you to shreds."

Clara felt slightly mad at the slight against her Grandfather. But then, for all she knew, Oliver Queen was right.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I like to get around, Queen Industries wasn't involved in this little exchange and I felt a little left out. Plus, I never miss a party."

A server walked past with champagne and Oliver stopped her to take one, about to reach for another glass when Clara stopped him.

"I can't drink, I'm underage."

Oliver knew this of course, but went forward.

"My mother taught me never to as a lady her age..."

"I'm 18, I'm a Senior."

"Ahhhh, High School, I remember that nightmare. Of course Excelsior Academy was made worse by the lack of pretty girls, too much testosterone for my taste."

As if to emphasise his point, Oliver took a large gulp of his champagne.

Excelsior Academy, Lex had gone to Excelsior.

"Excelsior? So you'd know Lex Luthor?"

Oliver's face sobered, and the grip on his glass tightened.

"Yeah I knew him, he was two years below me. Why?"

Suddenly they were interrupted by the screech of a microphone, and both Lionel Luthor and Bruce Wayne walked onto the stage at the top of the hall.

"Excuse me" said Oliver, nodding his head to her before he walked off into the crowd. Clara's Grandfather walked away from Edward Teague and back towards her, his expression was grim.

"Good Evening Everyone" said Bruce Wayne. He had a smooth baritone. Everyone began moving closer to the stage. It had a velvet curtained area beside the podium, with a tasselled pull cord.

"Welcome to this Wayne Enterprises and Luthor Corp sponsored event. It's always my honour to help those who are in need. That is the ethos my family founded our company on. Every child has the right to a safe home, and a future, I myself have adopted a child in need. But not every child is fortunate enough to have a family. All tonight's auction proceeds, and the proceeds for the exhibit, will go towards Gotham Orphanage and the Gotham Children's Charity, to help make a brighter future for our young people. Luthor Corp" Bruce doffed his head slightly to Lionel "have been kind enough to loan Gotham Museum the Tear of Atlantis, so named because legend tells it was forged from a tear of the God Neptune. It will be on display for the next six months. But before we have a word from our friends at Luthor Corp, let us take a minute to remember why we are here."

Lionel Luthor didn't look very happy about having his time in the lime light postponed, but acquiesced with quiet grace. There seemed to be trouble in the Wayne – Luthor camp, there was definite tension between Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor.

The lights dimmed, and a projected screen was revealed behind Mr Wayne, showing a short documentary reported by none other than Vicki Vale, who appeared to have filmed at Gotham Orphanage.

The film was heart wrenching, featuring abandoned and orphaned children who found it hard to function, and the work of Wayne Enterprises to make their lives better. Clara felt a silent horror, if she'd not been found by the Kent's, by anyone, would she have ended up alone, scared, in an orphanage somewhere?

The light went back up, and Clara found a handkerchief being held up in front of her face, but it wasn't her grandfather's. It was white silk, with a monogrammed "LL" on the corner. She looked to her left and was startled, it was Lex!

**Author's Note: So that's part one! Part two hopefully will be up in the next week. Please review!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: I don't own DC, Smallville, Superman, Batman, Green Arrow, Night Wing or any of them. There's a lot of not owning going on here. **

**Author's Note: Sorry for the long delay folks! My volunteer job is pretty intense, and I'm practically falling asleep when I get home some days. If only I was getting paid for my trouble! Hope you enjoy the instalment! **

Chapter 24

Queen was here, but of course he would be, he loved attention. Lex looked at his school nemesis, head still full of flaxen hair and that asinine grin plastered onto his face as he swaggered around. Lex clenched his fist, but took a deep breath and unclenched it, Queen wasn't his problem tonight.

Lionel was courting the guests, with his double edged barbs and ill intentioned humour. Wayne was conspicuous in his absence, but he wasn't one for mincing words, he'd leave the showboating to Lionel. Wayne was an interesting character, bereaved at a young age, successful businessman, private personal life, and adopter of an orphaned teen. Wayne had all the signs of being a decent man, and decent men were often the most dangerous. Lionel was not a decent man, and for Wayne to consider teaming up with him there had to be an agenda.

Lex's mouth twitched, he was amused by the idea of someone using Lionel for a change.

Then someone walked into the room he would not have thought to see in a million years. Wearing a simple blue silk wrap dress and flats, and on the arm of a much older man, was Clara Kent. She was beautiful, ethereal innocence with an inkling of sophistication that didn't age her. The older man, who seemed to be in his 60's, led Clara in a fatherly fashion. Lex moved through the crowd to follow. He hadn't seen Clara since Thanks Giving, since they had put their new pact into practice. Lex would have thought taking his farm girl and putting her in a setting like this would have been like a fish out of water, but she seemed to shine, even if she looked a little nervous.

"Looks like William Clark is here, it's bad form for Swann to send a lawyer to do his daughter's job."

The speaker was a pot bellied man with an expensive suit and too many rings, he was speaking to his date, a much younger and much altered blonde woman.

"Patricia's in Japan, and you know Swann's a cripple, I'd have been really weirded out if he came."

Lex scoffed as he continued to follow Clara's movements, Swann had more intelligence in one cell than those two had in their entire beings. Clara had separated from who he now knew was her grandfather, he recognised a resemblance to Martha in his face. She made for the food table, trying a little of the different foods, he noted she stayed away from the more acquired tastes, he'd keep that in mind. Then she went to wander, and Clara was examining some of the exhibits, after a few minutes she reached a Themyscirian statue.

Then, as if out of nowhere, Queen descended.

It took everything in him to prevent Lex going over there and starting something with Queen. What was he doing approaching a lone 18-year-old girl? He was standing too near to Clara.

Lex moved closer, to make sure Queen wasn't saying anything inappropriate.

"Ahhhh, High School, I remember that nightmare. Of course Excelsior Academy was made worse by the lack of pretty girls, too much testosterone for my taste."

No, the lack of girls wasn't the problem, filling a private school with over-privileged twerps, that was the problem.

Queen took a large swig of his Champagne, and Lex twitched, he'd made a point not to drink in front of Clara, in fact, he couldn't remember having had a drink since he met her, it hadn't seemed fair, seeing as she couldn't have one. But he hadn't felt the urge for alcohol he'd had in his early twenties, at times it had seemed almost like dependence, but Luthor's couldn't be addicts, it was weakness.

"Excelsior? So you'd know Lex Luthor?"

Lex smiled despite himself, so he wasn't forgotten. Trust Clara to have an attractive billionaire paying attention to her, and to ask him about another man. He was still firmly on her radar, for whatever reason.

The microphone started, Queen excused himself, and Lex approached. Wayne's speech was masterful, his dismissal of Lionel tactful, and the video was very emotive. As he came to Clara's side, he saw the tears on her face, she was such a soft touch. He reached into his breast pocket, found his handkerchief, and held it out to Clara as the lights went up.

"Lex!" Clara half whispered, taking the offered handkerchief and dabbing her eyes. Lex was glad she hadn't balked at the gesture.

"What are you doing here?" her eyes were bright, despite the moisture, she was genuinely glad to see him, one of the only people who was.

"I could say the same for you!" he replied, farm girl in the big city, that had to be a good story.

Clara looked over to her Grandfather, who seemed to have moved off the side without noticing this new turn of events. He was watching Bruce Wayne intently, getting his measure before the meeting tomorrow. It seemed Clark the Shark smelled blood in the Wayne-Luthor waters.

"My Grandfather invited me; he wanted to show me Gotham and some of his business. You?"

Lex had noticed a few belligerent glances from other guests, and so began to lead Clara to the far wall, not far from the statue of Hypolita. They still had a good view of the stage. Clara couldn't help thinking how good Lex looked in his Tux, she wondered if he liked her dress.

"I received an invitation; it _is _a Luthor Corp event. Also, I needed to speak to my father, and he's been rather illusive of late."

"What about?"

But Clara didn't get to hear, because as if the man's ears were burning, Lionel Luthor took the floor.

"As founder and CEO of Luthor Corp..."

Lex scoffed, of course his father would assert his importance first, at least Wayne has the decency to focus on the event.

"...I have always believed in attaining excellence, in both my business and charitable endeavours. The Tear of Atlantis is a true example of Luthor Corp's philanthropic spirit, and I am proud to offer its use to the people of Gotham..."

Clara frowned; it seemed there was no room for "We" in this speech. He hadn't even mentioned Wayne Enterprises yet.

"Tonight, of course, is about family, which has always been of great concern for me..."

Lex felt the anger building in him, the only thing his father cared about was how useful his child was. Clara sensed him tense and slid her hand in his, squeezing a little harder than she should have.

"...Every young person needs a strong guiding hand, someone to mould them to their greatest potential. When this influence is absent, it can have a detrimental effect on their future. My son Lex is in the crowd tonight, and I am sure he would not have turned out so well without my mentorship..."

Lex took a step forward, of course his father would know he was here, it was just like him to call him out on it in public. Clara had to grab his arm in addition to holding his hand and physically restrain him to prevent him from moving through the crowd towards the stage.

"Ignore him" Clara whispered, moving her mouth near to Lex's ear "He's not worth it."

"...Gotham Orphanage and the Gotham Children's Charities will benefit tremendously from this installation and the donations from tonight's auction..."

Auction? Clara looked at Lex puzzled, no one had said anything about an auction.

"...But without further ado, allow me to reveal what you have all been waiting for."

Lionel moved away from the podium, and surprisingly, Bruce Wayne did not move to stand beside him. He stood apart, watching Lionel Luthor with a slightly raised eyebrow, to Clara his whole demeanour seemed calm on the exterior, and roiling underneath.

Lionel moved to the red velvet curtain, which featured a rope cord. The security around the room shifted slightly, and for the first time Clara noticed that they all bore the Luthor Corp slogan emblazoned on their chests.

"Why are the security only Luthor Corp?" she whispered.

"My father doesn't trust anyone with his possessions, not even Wayne Enterprises."

The flashes from the press allowed in the ballroom began, official photographers sanctioned for the event, and Clara spotted a few video cameras. Lionel pulled the cord to reveal the Tear of Atlantis, in its diamond setting and necklace, on a velvet stand. It was pretty, but something about it was lacking. In the footage she'd seen online, the stone has seemed to give off a blue aura, Chloe hadn't been able to see it. But now it wasn't, maybe it had been a camera flare, or the lighting was different. Still, it was a stunning piece of jewellery.

Lionel stood next to it, soaking in the applause and the flashes from the cameras.

Then Clara heard something other than the din of the room, there was the sound of stretching fibres, the whistling of something parting the air at speed, and then suddenly, there was an arrow in the stage, closely followed by a man in green sliding down a zip line. He landed on the stage gracefully, to a stunned audience, and grabbed the necklace, holding it up to examine, a deep voice echoed from his hood, his face obscured by sunglasses:

"I don't think this is your colour Luthor, don't worry, I'll take it off your hands."

The Luthor Corp security reacted, rushing to the stage, only to be prevented by another arrow, which emitted an electric pulse that knocked them back, causing them to fall in a pile unconscious.

"Sorry boys and girls, you're not invited to this party!"

Lionel Luthor reached into his inner jacket, and pulled out a gun, as the green figure did this, pointing it at his back, only for it to be knocked away by what Clara could have sword was a black boomerang.

Clara made a step to move forward, Lex had moved himself in front of her at the sight of his father's gun, when a second figure appeared. He was young looking, like the green figure, slimmer, and only dressed in black leather which contoured nicely to his body. He wore a black eye mask, and his chest bored a blue bird with wings that ran onto his arms. Who was this? He wasn't Batman.

"Whatever you're planning on doing, don't. There are too many cameras" Lex looked at her meaningfully.

Clara acquiesced, reluctantly.

The black figure zipped and landed on the stage near Lionel, using what looked like police batons to fell three security guards with guns. Lionel Luthor made a move towards his ankle, and the new player grabbed him and twisted his arm behind his back:

"Sorry old man, this dance is mine" he then wacked one of his batons on the back of Lionel's neck, and he fell to the floor face forward unconscious. The Green figure sent an arrow upwards, which was attached to a line, then acknowledged his fellow:

"Boy Wonder! Nice of you to join the party, I see you've changed your colour pallet, personally, I miss the cape. Does your Bat-Dad know you've fallen out of the nest?"

"It's _Nightwing_, Arrow! And I think you're in the wrong city, you're done here!"

"Don't get your tights in a bunch kid."

"Stop show boating" said the younger man, take a step forward, batons outstretched.

"Fine, this party was getting lame anyway. Tell Daddy to call me, we'll do lunch"

Then Clara heard another voice, as if from a radio or a phone, and Nightwing put his hand on his ear.

"_Back off, the situation is escalating, I've taken care of the package, proceed the rondez vous point."_

"Roger that Batman" he whispered, before glaring at Green Arrow, who took the hint and fired a line to the upper gallery.

"Have a wonderful evening, ladies and gentleman, remember to dig deep!"

The "Green Arrow", as Clara called him in her mind, clicked a button and zipped up a line disappearing, closely followed by "Nightwing" who was either pursuing Green Arrow, or making his own getaway as the sirens approached.

They left a stunned audience, an unconscious Luthor, and an empty jewellery stand behind them.

Clara felt Lex begin to vibrate, and was worried he was injured, only to see he was laughing quietly.

"What?"

"The thing that embarrasses my father most is failure. He insisted on running security for this event himself, and he's been made a fool on national television."

"But what about the charity, Gotham Orphanage? They won't get the money from the exhibit now."

"I get the feeling Wayne has something up his sleeve; you notice he didn't move through that entire fiasco?"

Clara looked to the stage, to see Bruce Wayne kneeling next to Lionel Luthor, looking grimly down at him, checking his pulse. The EMT's arrived, and he let them take over, and the crowd began to be escorted into the lobby as Gotham Police arrived.

"Who'd have thought we'd see some genuine costumed vigilantes? As much as I dislike it, I had better follow the ambulance; my father is bound to be ... _unkind_ to the hospital staff."

"Go find your grandfather" said Lex, "He's probably worried about you. Maybe if my father's bed ridden I'll get my audience."

"Clara!" her grandfather called, realising she'd left his side.

"My grandfather's calling me" Clara said, parting from Lex before he could see them.

"I'd best make myself scarce, your parents are one thing, Clark the Shark is something else. I'll call you when I get home, you'll be back next week?"

"Yes, I have school."

Lex swiftly kissed Clara on the cheek, they parted and he weaved his way towards the EMT's.

Clara listened in to the conversations of the Law enforcement officers and she walked through the crowd towards William Clark.

"Was it the Joker again?" asked a tired-looking uniformed Police Officer to his colleague.

"Nah, some guy dressed as Robin Hood and Batman's side-kick" replied the rotund plain clothed officer next to him.

"Nightwing? What's he doing stealing a necklace?"

"From what I hear, he didn't steal it; he just chased the guy who was."

"Same difference."

"Clara" her Grandfather said, approaching swiftly "Come, we're moving to another room, are you alright?"

"I'm great Grandpa, what was all that about."

"Looks like Luthor's embarrassed himself, you shouldn't wander off like that, I was worried."

"I'm sorry."

"Come, the Police will be questioning everyone."

Clara left the room with her Grandfather, and couldn't help feeling like the Green Arrow has seemed familiar.

**Author's Note: There we go! Please read and review! **


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: I don't own DC, Smallville, Superman or Batman. **

**Author's Note: Thanks for waiting and for all your wonderful reviews, they really cheer me up at ridiculous-o-clock in the morning, when I have to get up to go to my volunteer job. I took today off to go see the Awesomeness that was Avenger's and so had a little time to write this, please review!**

**Chapter 25**

"You're sure you're alright sweetheart? You Grandfather has offered to drive you to the airport for an earlier flight" Martha Kent asked, her voice crackling slightly on the phone.

Clara and William Clark had only returned to their hotel room half an hour ago, in the early hours of the morning. They had been kept at the museum for hours, waiting for their turn to make a statement. When finally a young lieutenant had given them permission to go, they'd had to wait for the hire car to arrive. The first order of business when they returned was to call Clara's parents and apprise them of the situation. William Clark had talked to his daughter for 15 minutes, before handing the phone to his grandchild.

"No, Mom, I'm great. You know nothing could have happened to me, and I'm having a good time here, I've learned so much already. Plus, taking me to the airport would take time out of the preparation for Grandpa's big meeting. I still want to help him by taking notes, Mr Wayne is a big businessman, I'm sure I'll learn a lot from the experience."

"As long as you're sure Clara-Lily. I packed your work-wear in the garment bag, as well as the shoes, call me if you can't find anything. Try to get some sleep, I know you don't need is as much as I do, but it'll make me feel better."

That was true, while Clara liked to sleep, she didn't require it as much as a human would. While she kept to a regular sleeping pattern, she knew she could go days without it. Her mother discouraged it, but it came in handy when exam time came.

"I will, I promise, I'll go to bed right now. Do you want me to pass the phone back to Grandpa?"

"Please, I love you, you're father says he misses you."

"I love you both too."

Clara passed the phone back to her Grandfather, who talked for another 5 minutes, while Clara left his room and went to her own.

She kicked off her shoes, not bothering to put them away, which she knew her father would have raised an eyebrow at. She took care to put her dress back in the garment bag, and changed into her Smallville Crows T-shirt and some jogging pants. The familiar clothes were comforting, while the dress was nice, Clara felt more herself in her regular clothes, safer.

Clara closed her eyes, laying facing the window, and pondered her evening. Lex had been an unexpected surprise, but a pleasant one. Somehow, leaving Smallville, it hadn't occurred to her that anyone else did. In Gotham, Smallville seemed a world away and for Lex to appear changed her concept of the world, it was a lot smaller than she thought. To see him in that room of strangers had been comforting, and though she had felt chagrined by his prevention of her intervening in the robbery, it was probably for the best, who knew what those cameras could have picked up?

With that thought on her mind she allowed the haze of sleep to take her.

She didn't see the silhouette of a bat appear like a beacon in the sky.

...

It was a fake.

Oliver Queen examined the beautiful piece of jewellery in front of him, comparing it to the photographs on the computer. The same colour, the same shape, the same weight and the same setting, yet the necklace in his hands was not the true Tear of Atlantis. The diamond chain was real enough, but the real prize, the blue diamond, was little more than tinted cubic zirconia. He'd planned everything, down to the last detail, he'd researched the diamond, tracked it from the temple in India, all the way to Luthorcorp, what had gone wrong?

Had it been switched before Luthor got his hands on it? Lionel couldn't have bought a fake, Luthor was more careful than that. Had he deliberately given Wayne a copy to display? No, it would have been too embarrassing for him if he was found out, and he liked to flaunt his wealth. That left another possibility, Wayne, Wayne has switched the necklaces. Why?

There had been one slip-up, Night-Geek had turned up, and rather promptly too. How had he gotten there so quickly? Unless he knew he was coming.

A cold thought entered Oliver's mind, and he opened up his firewall, everything seemed fine, until he noticed something in the bottom right hand of the screen on the task bar, his virus software symbol had been replaced, by a bat.

"You make yourself very easy to find Queen."

Oliver spun round and raised his bow, ready to fire. The sliding door to his balcony was open, and there stood in black and exuding menace was The Batman. So his identity had been compromised.

"I didn't see you at the party, said hi to your kid though, I see he got over his metrosexual phase, personally I thought he pulled off the tights."

Batman said nothing, but approached picking up the necklace and examining it.

"It's a remarkable copy isn't it, Wayne did an excellent job."

"Where's the real one? Why are you protecting Luthor and Wayne? That stone is stolen, it should go back to the temple it belongs to."

Batman placed the necklace into his belt.

"Sure, take it, I don't mind, it'll add some dazzle to your get-up" said Queen.

Batman approached the window.

"You know, when people visit they usually bring a gift, not take one."

Batman turned back, giving Queen a pointed look, and then he was gone.

Oliver Queen seethed, until he saw something in the corner of his eye, something egg sized in the light of his computer screen, something _glowing_.

There, on his table, without its necklace, was the Tear of Atlantis.

Maybe Batman wasn't such a stiff after all.

The Tear of Atlantis would be going home.

...

"THE LOST TEAR OF ATLANTIS" "LUTHOR LOSES TEAR" "DIAMONDS AREN'T FOREVER" "GREEN ARROW CRASHES GALA" were just some of the headlines the next morning. William Clark ordered all of the newspapers to his suite, as he and Clara shared breakfast. Each edition seemed to have dedicated 15 or more pages to the gala, both the robbery and the celebrities involved. Most had the same angles, Luthor blunders, Wayne Enterprises vows to recoup the losses to the charity, Luthorcorp refuses comment.

Clara leafed through The Gotham Times, although she'd been there, it was interesting to see the journalists take on things, one day this is what she would be doing. The Gotham Times had led with "THE LOST TEAR OF ATLANTIS" with a large photograph of Green Arrow holding the necklace, it looked like it was a still from a video. There were articles on the security, comments from witnesses, a two page spread on the history of the necklace, and a page long article on Wayne Enterprises plans to donate gargantuan amounts of money to the charity involved. It even had a quote from Mr Wayne who said "I vow to pay the charity the amount the necklace is insured for, regardless of if it is found, I'm sure Mr Luthor will do the same." That was clever; he'd effectively created a situation where, if Lionel Luthor didn't pay the charity, he would get severe bad press.

"Wayne's got a good head on his shoulders, this negotiation is going to be very interesting" said her Grandfather, who was reading The Daily Planet's take on events.

Clara turned another page, and had been planning to reply to her Grandpa, until a bucket of ice was dumped on her head.

On page 5, was the headline "Beauty and the Billionaire" with a very close up and clear photograph of Lex kissing her on the cheek. Although Clara knew it had been innocent, their close proximity, her hand on his arm, her hand in his, his lips on her cheek, could be taken as _very_ intimate.

The caption read _"Billionaire Lex Luthor shares an intimate moment with Clara Kent." _

They knew her name?

Clara glanced furtively at her grandfather and excused herself, taking the paper to her room.

_Mr Lex Luthor (26), son of CEO Lionel Luthor, was seen last night in an intimate moment with Miss Clara Kent (18), granddaughter of Criminal and Corporate Lawyer William Clark. Lex Luthor famously moved from his families seat in Metropolis to their country home in Smallville, Kansas, in order to take over the local Luthorcorp factory. Clara Kent is a senior at Smallville High School and in September of this year she rescued Lex Luthor from a near-fatal car accident. Sources state that since then the two have been nearly inseparable, and that Clara Kent has been frequently sighted with Luthor in public and at his mansion home. It seems this friendship has developed into a romance and Lex Luthor has settled down from his wild teenage years of excess. Needless to say, Miss Kent is the envy of every single woman in Kansas. _

This was bad, very bad, not that they were saying she was Lex's girlfriend, she could deal with that, but when her William Clark and Jonathan Kent saw this paper...

Hopefully, if she left the paper in her room, her Grandfather wouldn't see it until later.

Much later, for now, they had a meeting with Wayne Enterprises.

Hopefully Bruce Wayne hadn't seen it either.

**Author's Note: Thanks for reading, please review!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: I don't own DC, Smallville, Batman or Superman. **

**Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait, as you know I'm volunteering Monday-Friday, and I've had some busy weekends too! Here's a quick taste before the weekend, hopefully before Sunday we'll be having a business meeting with Mr Wayne!**

**Chapter 26**

Lex Luthor slammed the door of 5 star hotel room as he stormed in, roughly pulling off his bow tie and slinging it to the floor, slightly choking himself in the process. His £5,000 dollar tuxedo jacket followed the tie onto the floor. The sun was peeking through the lofty buildings, pouring light into the panoramic windows of Lex's suite. He'd spent hours trying to get in to see his father last night, finally having to resort to bribing one of the orderly's with a crisp $100 note.

Lionel had still been unconscious when Lex entered his private room, a luxury not afforded to the regular patients in Gotham General, some of which were still on gurneys in the hallways and in far worse shape. Lex had been stunned by how old his father looked, he'd never thought of him as old. But in the harsh florescent light of the ward he could clearly see the toll time had taken on his father, the lines gouged into his face, the gray emerging from his temple, and the gradual sagging of skin under his eyes and jaw. This didn't make Lex pity his father, he was long past that. Instead, it gave him a sense of triumph, if one of Lionel's many enemies didn't end him, time would.

One day, this would all be over.

The beeping of the heart monitor had been steady, and despite attempts to rouse him Lionel didn't budge. After an hour a nurse came in, and startled to see him, called security. He'd left willingly, but was frustrated. The chart on the bed said his father was sedated in order to keep him immobile due to a broken collar bone. He hoped it hurt, badly.

But, that meant the reason for his father avoiding him, and the problem of the Luthor Corp facilities that had been broken into remained unsolved. The only pleasant thing about last night had been the unexpected appearance of Clara.

Clara, she'd been truly beautiful last night, not that she wasn't always, but tonight he'd seen another side. She'd been simple but elegant, and so out of place in that sea of fakery. He'd watched her with Queen, and been gratified that she thought of him even when the blonde fool was trying to charm her. She wasn't like any other woman he'd ever met, at her core she was a kind soul. Her reaction to the Orphan video had proven it, he'd never seen her cry, and hoped he never would again. Those crystal tears shined more brightly than the jewel on display, they had wrenched at his heart until the purpose for his time at the party, getting to his father, became secondary to comforting her.

A part of him hoped she still had his handkerchief.

Grabbing a shot of scotch from the mini-bar, he collapsed onto the couch next to the coffee table, and not feeling like sleeping, picked up the edition of The Gotham Times that waited there, he always ordered the newspapers at hotels. Ten minutes into reading, part way into the paper, the headline blared at him:

"Beauty and the Billionaire"

There on the page was a photograph of him kissing Clara on the cheek. It seemed so intimate, their body language was very involved, he could see how people would misconstrue it. Still, Clara might not be so accepting, she didn't have the history with the press he did, she was used to being on the writer's side of the paper. As articles go it wasn't even that juicy, he wasn't being portrayed as a cradle snatcher, if anything, they were calling him domesticated.

Domesticated, looking at his life since he met Clara, movie nights, football games, pizza and comic books, not one night on the town, one sleazy blonde, or one bender, he supposed he had calmed down. Glancing at the scotch in his hand, he realised he hadn't had a real drink in weeks. If this was domesticated, it wasn't so bad. Domestication had always brought up images of a white picket fence, 2.4 children, a wife and a dog. The image of him, Clara, and a red headed little boy, an earlier fantasy, re-emerged unbidden in his mind. New ones bred from it, driving the red-headed boy to soccer practice in a bright red truck, Clara baking in a country kitchen, a sparkling ring on her finger, the three of them playing with a Golden Retriever by the Kent farm... Before he met Clara, when he imagined his future, it had consisted of board meetings, extravagant apartments and travel. But seeing the simple way the Kent's lived, how at peace and happy they were, someday, he'd like to be like them. When Lex was younger domestication seemed like something for the weak, the stupid, being put out to pasture. But it depended on who you were with. He looked at the photograph again, and saw the photographers name scribbled into the caption. Taking his phone out of his pocket, he dialled his publicist.

"Michelle...yes I've seen it...no, no rebuttal, in fact, I have a job for you. Contact the cameraman involved, I want the original and any others he has, compensate him accordingly. Once you have them, get in contact with my silversmith, I want a frame, take the dimensions from the photographs you get and e-mail the pictures to me, I'll tell you which one to use.

Even if Clara didn't end up liking the implications of the photograph, it didn't mean he couldn't.

After all, it was the first picture of him and his greatest friend.

But it was fast becoming clear to him that he and Clara were on the border of friends and something more, something wonderful, but he wouldn't push it, she was only 18.

Sic Parvis Magna; that was the motto of one of his childhood heroes, Sir Francis Drake. It meant "Greatness from Small Beginnings", perhaps Sir Francis Drake was right.

He had a feeling Clara and he were at the beginning of something great.

...

Two miles away, in Gotham General Hospital, Lionel Luthor was now awake and sat with the same newspaper, smirking at the picture.

It seemed everything was going to plan.

The Luthor dynasty would be the greatest.

**Author's Note: I hope you liked it! Please read and review!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville, Batman, DC or any of it!**

**Author's Note: Thanks for the lovely reviews for my short chapter, here's a long expected meeting!**

**Chapter 27**

Wayne Enterprises's hub, Wayne Tower, sat at the beating heart of Gotham City. It dwarfed the other skyscrapers, sleek, Art Deco and imposing, with an artfully crafted "W" at its zenith. There was something classic about the design that made it stand out, even amongst other buildings of the same era. The Wayne family had been in Gotham since the time of the first settlers, no matter how much changed, how the buildings grew, population expanded and diversified, the city morphed, they were the constant, the centre, that Gotham rotated around. As with any logocentric system, the centre must hold for the rest to function, even if those of the edge of the wheel never know of the core. In the last century, the city had fallen on hard times, people had lost hope, and after the deaths of the Wayne's, the centre had begun to crumble. Without a strong guiding hand of leadership, the cities decay increased, despite people's attempts to counteract it. There had always been a Wayne in Gotham, and without him the city had lost its centre.

But then, Bruce Wayne returned, handsome, rich, powerful, and with the determination to change things for the better. Gotham's White Night became a symbol of hope for everyone, but hope didn't stop drug dealers, mobsters and murderers. Then, something more miraculous happened, a Dark Knight entered the arena. He was unknown, untried, and not part of the centre, but his own darkness sent the decay running. Suddenly Gotham had two heroes, White and Dark. While hope was Bruce's weapon, fear was Batman's, and combined, the city began to recover, the centre held, and things improved.

However, escalation is part of any war and every action has an equal and opposite reaction. With Bruce and Batman came The Joker, Two-Face, Poison Ivy, The Mad Hatter and a rogue's gallery full of Villains determined to stop the city spinning. Then came Robin, the boy wonder, who grew in the eyes of the Gotham public, representing the hopes of today's youth, and maturing into the formidable Nightwing, no longer sidekick, but partner, to his foreboding mentor.

But no one in the circumpherence knew that the centre did not have two parts, but one. Bruce Wayne was Batman, and Batman was Bruce Wayne. It did not take two men to change a city, just one willing to do what was necessary, whatever the cost. So Bruce Wayne gave himself to the cause, Bruce by day, Bat by night, and more and more lately it had become clear the they were the same thing.

"You're brooding again."

Bruce Wayne looked away from the window, seeing his adopted son, Rick, leaning on the door jam. He was not surprised, he'd heard him enter two minutes ago, Rick still had a lot to learn.

"You should be in class."

"My Art History seminar was cancelled, the Professor was at last night's shindig and needed the day off to recover, I feel like I do too. I chased Queen half way across the city last night! I thought I'd sit in on your Swann meeting."

"You mean you wanted an excuse not to study."

"Hey! I'm up to date with all my college work, but you know I want to get some business experience, would it hurt you to let me sit in? Clark is bringing his granddaughter, maybe I could keep her company?"

"The fact that she is a beautiful 18-year-old farm girl would have nothing to do with it."

"From the looks of the Gotham Times she'd already taken."

Rick Grayson dropped the newspaper in his hand open on the table, showing the title "Beauty and the Billionaire".

"You shouldn't believe everything you read."

The telephone on Bruce's desk rang and he picked it up.

"Yes Jenny?"

"Mr Clark and his guest have arrived."

"Send them to the board room please Jenny."

"Yes Mr Wayne."

Bruce walked out of his office and Rick followed when Bruce didn't tell him not to. Bruce was always hard to read.

...

Clara adjusted her skirt once again, unused to wearing such formal material. Her Mom had packed a cerulean blouse and grey pencil skirt for the meeting, and while she looked professional she still felt out of sorts. William Clark was as sharply turned out as usual, designer suit, polished shoes and a keen look on his face. Today was going to be a tough negotiation, and Wayne a formidable opponent. Dr Swann wanted a solid basis for future business and the JL satellite project would be the beginning of a commercial space race. All that was required for Swann and Wayne to becoming a powerhouse was the right agreement, and that was where he fit in.

Upon entering the building they had been seen by the main receptionist, who then sent them to the senior receptionist, and then Mr Wayne's receptionist, this all took 10 minutes. The elevator seemed to climb for a millennium, and Clara tried not to think about how high they were, when it chimed and opened up to a floor which screamed "executive". It wasn't overdone, no gold or silver, or priceless paintings, but it had a few choice pieces of sculpture, and they were shown through to a high tech and sleek board room, where Mr Wayne and a young man who looked only a year or so older than Clara waited. Wayne was as well put together as ever, there was no sign of fatigue, he must be used to long nights. The young man beside him had bags under his eyes, despite his youth, but he smiled reassuringly at Clara. He was dressed in black slacks and a white shirt, his sleeves were rolled up, he looked smart but casual. Clara couldn't help noticing how toned his forearms were, or the slender but firm shape of his body, and felt strangely struck with Déjà vu. Rick caught her looking and his smile increased, which caused a blush to creep into Clara's cheeks.

"Mr Clark, welcome, I hope you weren't too perturbed by the unfortunate events of last night."

Mr Wayne's voice struck a cord in her brain, niggling at her, like she should realise something, but she supposed it was because she'd heard it last night.

"Not at all Mr Wayne, may I introduce my granddaughter, Clara Kent."

"It's an honour to meet you Mr Wayne."

Clara shook his hand firmly, perhaps a little too firmly, she was feeling a little distracted. The corner of his mouth lifted up and he replied.

"Likewise, from what I read Miss Kent you're quite the local heroine."

So he'd heard about Lex and Jason. But had he read about Lex and her? That would be very embarrassing.

"I didn't do anything that someone else couldn't have done."

"No, I think you did. There aren't many that would risk their life for someone else, without thought of reward, that is an admirable quality, and one the world needs more of. But where are my manners? This is my adopted son, Rick, he attends Gotham University."

Rick stuck out his hand and both William Clark and Clara shook it.

"Ahh Gotham University, I'm going to take Clara to look at it after this afternoon, she's going to start applying to colleges soon."

"How about we get down to business, Rick will be sitting in and I'm assuming Clara will too. Let's show them business at work shall we?"

For the next two hours William Clark and Bruce Wayne had an epic battle of wills, while Clara scribbled away documenting everything important that was said, and feeling chagrined that a lot of their buzz words and technical language was beyond her. There was so much nuance, such calm sentences which packed hidden meaning that Clara felt boggled, she definitely wasn't going to be a Finance journalist. What really interested her was the body language, the way they held themselves, their ticks, showed more than their words. Wayne was cool and confident, but not arrogant, despite his apparent cheerfulness, his body language belied the seriousness of the situation. Her grandfather was tense with concentration, he gesticulated to emphasise points, and a vein in his forehead was becoming more pronounced as he focused. Clara could hear his heart rate increase when he became particularly passionate about a point, but Wayne's heart rate didn't vary, it was steady at 60 beats per minute.

Rick sat quietly, he wasn't taking notes and he wasn't really paying attention to the business. He was doing what many young heterosexual men would do, he focused his attention on the pretty girl in the room. He couldn't believe that she let Lex Luthor kiss her, he was old! 26 according to the article, which to Rick's 19 seemed ancient. He watched as her curls were tousled slightly by the air conditioning, bouncing and swaying as she tilted her head between looking at the negotiators and her paper, her hand was slim and graceful as it glided along the page, and he couldn't help but notice an interesting symbol necklace around her neck right above a generous cleavage. She was a truly beautiful girl, when he'd caught her looking at him earlier she'd even blushed! There was no way anything romantic was going on between her and Luthor, the press had to be wrong, God knows he'd kissed some of his female friends on the cheek before!

"Well Mr Clark, I think we have an initial contract. Why don't we go and draw this up and send it to Dr Swann for final approval? If you don't mind Mr Clark, Rick will take Miss Kent down to the cafeteria for refreshments while we get this in writing?"

"That sounds fine to me Mr Wayne."

They all stood up and Mr Wayne called his secretary for his legal team.

Rick Grayson led Clara out of the door into the corridor, rubbed the back of his neck and introduce himself.

"That was pretty intense, we didn't get properly introduced back there, I'm Rick."

He held out his hand which Clara shook.

"I'm Clara"

"So, you're applying to colleges?"

They chatted about Gotham University as they descended in the elevator to a floor which seemed to be completely reserved for food. Every employee from janitor to executive was there and all intermingling.

"Bruce believes that everyone should have access to the same amenities, it stops segregation, everyone's job is important so the executives don't get special treatment. Everyone in the building gets an ID card they use to pay for food and amenities while in a Wayne Enterprises facilities."

"That's really admirable."

Clara wondered if Luthor Corp had a similar policy, she'd have to ask Lex. She highly doubted it, Lionel Luthor didn't seem the type to eat with his underlings.

They got in line and Rick showed Clara how to swipe her visitors ID to pay for her Ham sandwich and Orange Juice. It was a far cry from the farm, but the world was changing fast.

Clara looked Rick over as they ate, he was good looking, and well proportioned, and as he chatted about his computer technology course it was clear he was intelligent. But she couldn't completely relax, there was something familiar about him she couldn't place, and it was bugging her.

"I was surprised by how understated the inside of the building is, I was expecting something a little..."

"Grander? Yeah, Bruce doesn't believe in showboating, I'm sure your friend Luthor's place is far more flashy."

Clara's insides froze, Rick must have seen the article, but then something in her mind clicked, showboating... Nightwing had told Green Arrow not to Showboat. Come to think of it, Clara glanced at Rick's physique, and listened to his voice, they were very similar to Nightwings, she'd only heard them last night but she had a nearly eidetic memory for such things. Surely not, she must be imagining it.

The subject turned to their families.

"So, do you spend much time with your Grandfather?"

"Not really, he wasn't around much when I was growing up. We've only reconnected recently. The last time I saw him until last month was a few weeks after my parents adopted me. I was around 3 I think."

"You're adopted? Me too, Bruce adopted me when I was eleven. My parents were trapeze artists and there was an accident...I don't like to talk about it much."

"My birth parents died too, I don't remember them. But my parents are the best anyone could have asked for, and more. I'm very lucky."

"I am too, not everyone gets adopted by a billionaire. Bruce makes it a point not to spoil me though, I work for what I get. There's always a new mission."

"It's good to have goals, I think."

Rick's phone began to ring in his pocket, and he put his hand to his ear, Clara noticed an ear piece there, a very familiar one.

"Bring Miss Kent to the foyer Rick, the negotiations are complete. You're to patrol later."

"Roger that Bruce"

It was like an epiphany, that was too much of a coincidence, you could change the way you looked, but some things, like speech patterns and favoured words, were a lot harder to alter. Rick Grayson had just mirrored Nightwing's words twice, he was the same physical build, the same approximate age, and through the phone line Bruce Wayne's voice sounded eerily familiar. Clara was almost completely convinced that Rick Grayson was Nightwing, and if he was Nightwing, then Bruce Wayne must be...

"Hey, you okay, you look a little pale."

"I'm fine."

Clara remained very quiet, she didn't like secrets, other peoples were worse, she wasn't good at lying. If what she suspected was true, she had just burdened herself with a very dangerous secret.

They took the elevator to the foyer of the building and said their goodbyes, as Clara looked at Bruce Wayne, the reason for his disparate words and body language made sense. As they shook hands she found she looked into his eyes, and it felt as if he knew what she was thinking. Bruce Wayne unprecedentedly walked them out to their car, there weren't many CEO's who would do that.

As William Clark began to say another goodbye Clara noticed a small child next to a woman across the street, it was a little girl with pigtails and a rubber ball she was bouncing up and down as her harried looking mother talked on her phone. The woman dropped her daughters hand to gesticulate as she argued with the person on the line and didn't notice as her daughter dropped her ball and ran after it as it bounced into oncoming traffic. A taxi came speeding down the road at three times the limit, it was only seconds away from flattening the child, Clara didn't think, she acted, in a blur of speed she ran, the force of the sprint caused her ballet flats to come flying off, and the split on the back of her pencil skirt to widen. She reached the little girl, enveloping her and put out her hand to divert the car, she caught the front and pushed, sending it careening into an unmanned parked car, an SUV that could take the hit without harming pedestrians. The driver slumped into the airbag, but otherwise seemed unhurt.

Clara then sped the girl back to her mother and ran back to her side of the road, all in a matter of seconds. Her hair was in wild disarray, and her shoes were gone, but no one noticed, they were all staring at the crashed car and the distraught mother who grabbed her child and ran from the sidewalk, thankful her child had not strayed closer to the road. The little girl looked confused, but being so young just started complaining about her ball. Everyone was focusing on the crash, everyone that is, but Bruce Wayne. He was looking at Clara's bare feet and her wild hair in a calculating way. When Clara looked him in the eyes, Clara just knew she'd been spotted. He didn't say anything. The sirens sounded in the distance, but despite her enhanced hearing Clara didn't notice them, she was stuck in the gaze of Bruce Wayne. Clara's grandfather ushered her into the car, not noticing her bare feet and Clara kept eye contact with Wayne until they drove into the distance.

...

Clara was glad she had brought a change of clothes in the car, when they arrived at their restaurant for lunch Clara was able to change in the bathroom before going to eat. She'd wanted to wear something comfortable when visiting the university. Thankfully no one noticed her lack of shoes before she replaced them. Her Grandfather had been too occupied with his blackberry.

After changing into jeans, a blouse and her red leather jacket they ate lunch and toured the Gotham University Campus. It had a feeling of the old world about it, the buildings were 18th century, interspersed with a few shiny glass lecture halls donated by the Wayne Foundation. It definitely had a competitive journalism programme, although her grandfather insisted they visit the law department, if that wasn't a hint she didn't know what was. While he'd never said he'd like her to become a lawyer, Clara knew he'd been disappointed when her mother didn't join his practise. Still, her college fund did not have the stipulation she become a lawyer. Journalism was her passion, and William Clark seemed resigned to it, though he did make her look at options for law conversion of other discipline degrees, a man can dream. It had been a very long day, and it was dark by the time they returned to the hotel. Clara dumped her things by the door, her business clothes and a Gotham University prospectus. The room was bathed in moonlight and they cast an odd shadow on the bed, there was something on it. As Clara approached, a lump came into her throat. It was her pair of ballet flats.

"You should be more careful, you could have been seen."

Clara swirled round to see the dark foreboding shape of the Batman emerge from the shadows of her room, she hadn't turned on the light. How had she not noticed him?

"I...It seems I already was."

"Don't worry, I erased the CCTV cameras for the block, it'll be put down to a power failure."

"I didn't think ...I"

"No, you didn't, but you did the right thing."

There was a silence between them before Clara had to ask.

"What are you going to do?"

"Nothing."

"You aren't going to ask how I did it?"

"That symbol round your neck practically advertises it, Dr Swann isn't the only person interested in the extra terrestrial, the meteor shower in Kansas was well publicised, and your adoption entirely too coincidental."

Ice ran down Clara's spine. Bruce Wayne knew her secret.

"I've been aware of you for a while, I was determining whether you were a threat."

Another pause followed.

"I would never hurt anyone!"

"Not of your own volition, but power can be dangerous in the wrong hands, such as Luthor's."

"What does Lex have to do with anything?"

"If someone were to threaten to hurt him, to make you do something, would you?"

Clara's insides twisted, she hadn't even considered the possibility. She unthinkingly countered:

"Would you for Rick?"

Batman, Bruce Wayne, didn't show any indication he was surprised by her knowledge of his identity.

"Rick knows the price for what we do, he knows the sacrifice he will have to make for the greater good. So far, you've been lucky, but one day you'll have to make the hard choice, and if it's the wrong one, someone will have to stop you. Power like yours cannot go unchecked."

"I won't let that happen."

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

Batman moved towards her balcony, she saw the sliding doors were open.

"Wait!"

He paused.

"Who stops you?"

"If it came to it, I'd stop myself."

Then he was gone, swinging into the night, and leaving Clara with many questions she had to ask herself.

Clara had never considered how dangerous she could be in the wrong hands. What if someone else had found her in that field, someone with evil intentions, someone like Lionel Luthor?

If someone she loved was in danger and the only way to save them was to do something terrible, would she? Or if she lost control somehow, with her power, who could stop her?

She hoped she would never have to find out.

But as the bat signal appeared in the night sky, she knew there was someone who would try.

**Author's Note: Thanks for reading, please review!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville, Superman, DC or Batman.**

**Author's Note: After getting soaked on the banks of the Thames yesterday watching the Queen's Jubilee flotilla, today I have the bank holiday off work so now I can write some more about Clara! Thank you all for your wonderful reviews, keep them coming in abundance they make me want to write more! **

**Chapter 28**

"So, how'd you like being a celebrity?"

Chloe smirked and sipped on her coffee, looking enquiringly at Clara. The article in question was pinned on the wall titled "Staff Hall of Fame". Clara felt herself blush.

"I'm not a celebrity Chloe."

Chloe raised an eyebrow and typed something into her browser.

"The world thinks you're dating Lex Luthor. That makes you news worthy, which makes you a celebrity. You should see the message boards."

"What message boards?"

Clara looked over Chloe's shoulder to see the article being commented on via Myspace and Facebook.

"Most are just hate messages from Lex's fan girls, but some are quite positive. Apparently they like the fact you're from a rural background, it makes them feel like Lex is more accessible. It's kind of like being Prince William's girlfriend, Kate."

Clara read a few of the messages.

"_You got girl "_

"_She's nobody, why would he date her?"_

"_Lex is mine!"_

"_B**** better take her hands of my man!"_

Some got quite obsessive.

"But I'm not Lex's girlfriend, we're just good friends...wait, Lex has fan girls?"

"He's a bachelor billionaire, it would be unusual for him _not_ to have fan girls."

Chloe tapped a few keys and a series of websites came up, they were fan clubs! The one with the most subscribers was "Lex's Ladies" followed closely by "Luthoricious" "The Lexicon". There were biographies of Lex, pictures from his childhood onwards, press clippings, fan testimonies, and even a timeline mapping his locations. It was scarily stalkerish.

"Is this allowed? It seems pretty invasive."

"He's a public figure, so technically there's no reason they can't do it."

"But if they did this to an ordinary person it would be called stalking!"

"The law's still pretty hazy about how full on people can be with celebrities. You've got a page too."

"I do?"

It was called "Clara's Corner" and it had small following, apparently their "relationship" was quite popular with some people.

"But there people don't even know us, why are they commenting on our relationship?"

There were two particularly adamant followers, _Lexismine_776 and _Clex4ever22_ that were battling fiercely on the message boards for and against the relationship. Clara felt quite ill.

"Welcome to the digital age Clara."

"They obviously have too much time on their hands."

"If you're going to stay friends with Lex you're going to have to get used to media attention. To the media in general if you're still set on being a reporter."

"I am, I just hope when I am one I write things with more..._substance_ than focusing on people's potential love lives."

"Hey! If you ever feel you're slipping, call me! I can be your journalistic conscience."

Something clicked inside of Clara, and she thought back to what the Batman had said. She'd told Chloe about the encounter, but had edited his identity.

"Chloe, if you ever thought I was doing something _bad_, or for the wrong reason, you'd tell me right?"

"This because of what tall dark and brooding said?"

The tone had turned sombre and Clara nodded.

"You _know_ I would. But you're the most honest and guilt ridden person I know, you'd never let that happen."

"I may not have a choice."

Chloe moved to stand in front of Clara and looked her in the eye.

"I promise you, that if I think you're sliding, I will tell you. Pinkie swear?"

Clara's lip twitched unbidden, they hadn't pinkie sworn since they were 13.

"Pinkie Swear."

Clara held out her pinkie and Chloe took it, shaking them slightly.

"So, have you talked to Lex about your 15 minutes of fame yet?"

The bell rang and Clara was saved from answering. She knew she couldn't hide in the Torch Office anymore, it was Monday morning and they had class.

She knew she'd have to talk to Lex about it soon, but first, time to face the music. Or at least, English class.

...

Jonathan Kent didn't like the thought of his daughter in a relationship with a Luthor, and no matter what she said a friendship was still a relationship. For a 26-year-old man to be spending time with an 18-year-old girl, there had to be something more to it than "just friends". His daughter was not worldly, part of what he loved about her was that she was not jaded, she tried to see the good in everyone. She was like Martha that way. But it also made her naive, especially when it came to men. He would be eternally thankful that no man could ever physically harm his daughter, but that didn't mean one couldn't use her, and break her heart. But she was 18 now, he didn't have the right to tell her who she could and couldn't spend time with. Soon she'd be going to College, most likely in Metropolis, and despite his chagrin at William Clark's interference in their financial affairs, he had to admit he was glad Clara could go anywhere she wanted. Lex was new and exciting, but perhaps the friendship wouldn't last with distance, she'd go to college, broaden her horizons, and perhaps meet someone her own age.

No father wanted their daughter to be unhappy, he couldn't warn off Lex Luthor without making her unhappy.

But he could give him some friendly advice.

...

Class had been awkward. She's heard the juniors whispering and pointing as she'd walked down the hall, they'd received the stink eye from Chloe. Then Whitney had made it her personal mission to whisper very loudly behind her back. Clara would have heard her anyway, super hearing was a bit of a curse at times.

Clara decided to hide at lunch and Chloe had editorial work to do. The track wasn't in use, so she decided to hide underneath the bleachers. She was halfway through her ham and pickle sandwich and reading Catcher in the Rye when she heard someone running, no, two people running, and saw Jason and Lucas jogging side by side, doing laps of the track. She couldn't move without being spotted.

Lucas was leading slightly, and between breaths he was taunting Jason.

"Come on ...CJ...feeling old?"

"My stamina...is out of...this world...Lang!"

"Sure it is..._Teague!_"

After another five minutes they slowed and eventually started walking. Clara pointedly didn't look at them as the stretched out, it was like voyeurism. She went back to reading Catcher in the Rye, when they started talking again. Clara couldn't help her super hearing, and she had a clear line of site on them.

"So, have you told your aunt yet?"

Lucas was sitting on the bleachers on the opposite side of the track to Clara, Jason next to him offering him a bottle of water. Lucas took it, thanked him and swigged it.

"No. She really pitched a fit when I broke up with Whit, I don't want to spring this on her too."

"You got the letter nearly a month ago, that offer's not going to be there forever."

"I know! It's just, she had her heart set on me getting a football scholarship from Metro-U. I like football, but I don't love it the way she wants me to. I wouldn't have applied to the programme at all, but you saw my sketch book and practically forced me! How can I tell her I want to go study art in France?"

Art? Clara has no idea Lucas liked art. But then, he'd always been so creative with the flowers in Cam's shop, he designed the window displays and floats for parades.

"Your portfolio is awesome, you have the scholarship. All you need to do is tell her."

"I _know_. I feel guilty though. When my parents died, she put her life on hold to adopt me, and now, I'll be abandoning everything she'd planned for me and leaving her alone."

"If you don't tell her soon you'll be on the plane, I think she'd notice then."

"Jason..."

"You're going to have to man-up, you need to tell her soon. You owe her the truth. You were so unhappy when I met you, now, you're coming into your own. I'm sure once the shock's worn off, she'll accept what you want. She just may be a little disgruntled for the first few weeks."

"It's not just the art though, you know that. Part of the reason I'm so happy is because of you."

Jason looked at Lucas and then down at his bottle of water.

"I just told you what you needed to hear."

"You know it's more than that."

"Part of being Coach is being a counsellor; I've helped tonnes of kids like you."

Lucas winced.

"I'm not a kid, I'm going to college next year. I know that you don't look at me as a kid!"

Lucas stood up, standing in front of the still sitting Jason, who was looking up at him.

"Cass, I know you've had a lot of changes lately, and it's only natural you develop a crush on the nearest..."

"Crush? A crush! How can you say what I feel for you is a crush! You're the one who gave me the courage to admit what I am! I've never felt this way about anyone before!"

Clara blinked, Lucas is gay? She shouldn't be hearing this, this was a private conversation. But she couldn't risk them seeing her.

"Cass! I'm your teacher, I have a bond of trust with you! We can never have a relationship."

"So if you weren't my teacher, it would be okay!"

"Yes! No! I don't know! I've never had this situation with a student before."

"But if we'd just met on the street, or at a game, a year from now, if I'd asked you out, would you have said yes?"

Jason looked at Lucas earnestly and almost dejectedly said "Yes."

Lucas looked triumphant but Jason looked at him sharply.

"But that _didn't_ happen, you're a _student,_ and I'm your _teacher_, and as long as that is true this _can't happen_."

"Then we'll wait."

Jason looked startled.

"Wait for what?"

"Until I'm not your student. I finish High School next year. Come with me to France. No one needs to know you're with me, you're due a sabbatical anyway, and you speak French because of your Mom. We don't have to live together. I remember you saying you have an apartment in Paris, it was your Mom's so your Dad couldn't touch it when you were disowned. We can try this out, and if it doesn't work, then you can come back here and no one's the wiser, and we can stay friends."

Jason looked like he was considering it.

"I don't know Lucas, what if you change your mind? It's nearly 10 months until you leave for France. You could have met someone else your own age by then."

"I only want to be with _you_. I only _ever _want to be with you. For now, we can stay friends, but in less than a year we can be together, legitimately. Just two guys who like each other and want to see where it goes."

Jason took a deep breath and stood up, he was one step above Lucas.

"Okay, after you finish school, we'll _talk_ about it. But while you're my student I don't want to hear one more word on the subject. I'll kick your ass in practise, I'll offer you counselling and I'll be your friend but that's _it._"

Lucas looked relieved and made a motion towards Jason and then remembered himself.

"That's all I ask!"

"Come on, we've been slacking for too long, three more laps then I want you to go to class."

"Yes CJ."

They ran the laps then left the track and Clara sat stunned at what she'd heard. But it wasn't her business. Technically they hadn't done anything wrong, as long as they waited until after Lucas finished high school. But she didn't like keeping other peoples secrets. First the Batman, now Jason and Lucas, it was just more information that meant she had to lie.

It seemed she was becoming a receptacle for secrets.

She heard the bell ring in the distance, she had biology, and she was late.

Clara ran at slightly above human speed to get to class.

...

**Author's Note: Shocker! Which some of you already guessed :P Sorry Clason fans! *Hides begin Clara* (and another one bites the dust!). Next chapter, most likely, will be Jonathan visiting Lex! Please read and review! **


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer: I don't own DC, Smallville, Superman or any of it!**

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the lovely reviews, Lex has a visitor...**

**Chapter 29**

Lex sat at his desk tapping through his fan sites, he tended to peruse them on occasion, to gauge the reaction of the world to certain actions and articles. It was necessary for him to check the "trends" and the internet was like one big ongoing public opinion poll. It seemed that quite a few people liked the idea of him being in a monogamous relationship, and that he was now living in a rural setting. Luthor Corp's stocks had gone up when the article about he and Clara had gone out. His stock broker said the possibility of him marrying and having children in the future, which so far hadn't seemed likely due to his habits, was increasing confidence in the future of the company. Clara was actually getting a lot of good press, he saw their relationship even had a fan website. They'd somehow gotten hold of her Yearbook photo, which indicated someone in Smallville had been providing information. There was also negative press from his usual stalkers, some women, and some men, could get very obsessive. He'd keep an eye on Clara's pages, just to make sure no one was getting _too _interested in her.

Clara must not be handling this well, she'd made no attempt to contact him. Perhaps she was angry with him? He couldn't imagine her angry, maybe embarrassed and upset? Going to school yesterday couldn't have been fun for her. Adolescents could be cruel, especially when you were different, or they were jealous of you. He'd experienced that at the hands of Queen in Excelsior. He should have known better than to show affection in public, his father never had.

A member of his security team knocked and entered the living room.

"Mr Luthor, Mr Kent is here to see you."

Lex balked slightly, Jonathan Kent must have seen the article. He'd not considered Clara's family, he would not be pleased.

"Should I tell him to come back another time."

"No Carl, show him in."

"Yes Mr Luthor."

Jonathan Kent walked in confidently to the lavish surroundings. He stuck out like a sore thumb in his worn plaid shirt, jacket, faded jeans and work boots. Everything about Jonathan Kent told the story of a man who worked honestly for a living. His tanned skin and wild blonde hair, his worn clothes spoke of winters and summers ploughing fields and raising cattle. Despite his worn appearance, Lex noticed the ring on his finger was still polished and shining, as if he cleaned it every night. This was a man who loved his wife, and took pains to preserve the symbol of their union. Jonathan Kent was a family man. Everything his own father was not, everything he envied and one day everything he hoped to be. A good man.

"Mr Luthor..." Jonathan began, Lex cut him off:

"Lex, please."

"Lex, you seem like an intelligent young man, I'm sure you know why I'm here."

"Yes Mr Kent, you're here to tell me to stop spending time with your daughter."

"No, I'm not."

Lex was startled.

"Then why _are_ you here Mr Kent?"

"I'm not going to beat around the bush Lex. Clara is a very special young woman. But she is also inexperienced in the world. She likes to see the good in everyone. But, we both know not everyone has good intentions. Now, she wants to be your friend, and she'd 18, that's her choice. But we both know that your family have a track record of hurting those closest to them. I don't know what your plans are towards my daughter, but as much as I don't like it I'm not here to warn you away. That would hurt Clara too much. Instead, I'm telling you right now, if you ever hurt my daughter, you will suffer the consequences."

Lex considered this warning par for the course. He'd never actually been lectured by a girl's father before, most were appreciative of his wallet, or his connections.

"I have no intention of ever hurting Clara, she's one of my dearest friends. I owe her my life."

"See that you remember that. But also remember that she is an 18-year-old girl who has practically no experience of life outside of this community. There are some who would take advantage of that, people you know."

Lex knew who they were talking about now, his father.

"Your father already has an unhealthy interest in my daughter. If your association with her is increasing his interest, we both know it can be for nothing good. If you insist on being my daughter's friend, you're also going to have to become partly responsible for her well being and safety. Can you handle that?"

Lex knew what Jonathan Kent was insinuating. If it came down to it, could he defy his father openly to keep Clara safe? Or, if needed, could he cease contact with her?

"It's a non-issue. My father and I haven't gotten along in years. I'll keep an eye on him, and he'll keep an eye on me. It's the Luthor way. I'll do everything in my power to make sure this has no repercussions on Clara, and I'll do what's necessary if it does. I just want her to be happy."

Jonathan looked at Lex appraisingly, and Lex had the distinct feeling his future with Clara hung in the balance. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Jonathan Kent nodded.

"I think we have an understanding then, Lex."

"Yes I think we do Mr Kent."

Lex was surprised that Jonathan Kent offered his hand, and he shook it, it was warm, dry and rough, a working hand. The grip was firm and confident. Lex couldn't help but breathe out in relief, if there was one man Lex respected, one he wanted the approval of, it was Jonathan Kent's.

After Jonathan Kent left, Lex pondered over what had been said. Jonathan was giving him the benefit of the doubt, allowing him to spend time with his daughter. But Lex was now responsible for his father's actions when it came to Clara, and making sure he didn't harm her. Even if it meant having to end their friendship, in the long run. This was a small price to pay to be near Clara. It also meant being prepared to check his own actions, if staying friends forever was what was best for Clara, then he would come to terms with that, if that was what she wanted. He only wanted her to be happy, he hadn't felt like that about anyone since his mother.

Lex had already started researching his father's interest in Clara, starting with his arrangement of her adoption through the dummy foundation Metropolis United Charities, but had been sidetracked by something odd. The charity had only ever handled three adoptions, the first was Clara Kent, the second a Lucas Dunleavy and the third was a child known only as Lutessa. Dunleavy was what had given him pause. His mother's nurse towards the end of her life had been a Rachel Dunleavy. That had been nearly 21 years ago. The child in question was adopted at age 4 by a couple in Kansas, the way the dates worked out, if it had been Rachel, she would have gotten pregnant while working for his family. She'd been redheaded, his father's preference. After his mother's death in 1985, Rachel had disappeared. Could this Lucas be his half-brother? He wouldn't put it past his father, but still, it was hard to think Lionel cheated on his wife while she was on her death bed. It needed more investigation. But it would have to wait, Lionel's interest in Clara was more pressing.

Lex knew Clara had a secret, did Lionel know it? Or did he suspect something that interested him? Strictly, Lex wasn't researching Clara, just information his father had about Clara, information that interested Lionel was important. But he dilemma of the other adoptions had made him complacent, he needed to dedicate more time, he needed to know everything Lionel did in order to pre-empt him.

Information would help him stay ahead of the game. He wasn't searching for Clara's secret, he was searching for a way to keep it safe, and make himself worthy of her friendship, and perhaps, years down the line, something more.

...

Clara stood in the barn, holding the tractor up as her father tinkered underneath. Nothing in the Kent farm ever went to waste, the old red tractor had been Grandpa Kent's and with a little TLC it worked just as well as when it was manufactured. Clara took the time to relax, her day at school had resulted in her feeling like an specimen under a microscope. She remembered all the times she had stood here, watching her father work, sitting with a toy or a book. Clara had always been fascinated by watching her father work, compelled to sit and see how he fixed things, took them apart and put them together. Even now she still secretly thought he could fix anything. Her Mom said she'd always done it, even when they first found her.

A few weeks after Clara had been adopted Jonathan had propped the old tractor on a reinforced car jack while he worked on it in the barn. Clara had woken from a nap and heard the wrench; her ears had been sensitive even then. With the single mindedness of a child who wanted something, she had toddled past Martha, who was on the phone in the kitchen in order to find her Daddy.

Jonathan had been under the hulking machine, busy with his torque wrench and had not realised that the jack was losing its stability. Martha had just arrived in the barn in search of her wayward star-child when one particularly powerful turn of the wrench had been enough to dislodge the tractor. Martha had screamed his name and Jonathan would have been crushed, if not for his 3-year-old adopted daughter, who stood, arms aloft in the air, holding the tractor in place with a big grin. Jonathan had lain stunned, until he came to his senses and rolled out from underneath, and reached to grab Clara away, who gladly dropped the tractor to hug him, still all smiles. Jonathan had been shaken, scooping her up and holding her tight, while Martha rushed forward to join them. That was the first time their suspicions had been confirmed, Clara was indeed a special child.

Clara, was too young to be aware of the irregularity of her own strength, and did not have any compunction about demonstrating it. This had resulted in broken toys, furniture and farm equipment, and Clara's absence from Pre-school. Martha Kent had taught Clara herself until she was ready for kindergarten, and old enough to understand she needed to be "gentle". They'd spread the story that Clara was adopted from Eastern Europe, and that she couldn't attend mainstream school until her English was better. No one in the town of Smallville knew any better to question it.

Though, the story wasn't entirely untrue, in those first few months Clara didn't understand English, and when she did speak, her first word had been "Lara". Martha had thought it was baby talk, or a childish pronouncement of her own name, until the Martian had visited 15 years later. Now they knew Lara had been Clara's birth mother. Martha was simultaneously happy that Clara has still remembered her birth mother at that age and saddened that Clara had been conscious of her absence.

For the first year Clara barely spoke, despite having developed a full understanding of English. Perhaps it was because Martha was overcompensating, reading Clara's gestures and face for what she wanted. Or, for all they knew her birth parents had a completely different way of communicating with her. Her people might develop differently. Martha had taken child development books out of the library and read that some children had to be given the _need_ to speak. So Jonathan and Martha had gently encouraged Clara to use words for what she wanted, but it had seemed in vain.

Until Clark the bunny had gone missing.

Clara had run around everywhere, gesturing and frantic, nearly in tears, and her parents had watched without understanding, until finally Clara's frustration had built to the point she exclaimed:

"Mummy, Daddy, Clarky is lost!"

Clark the bunny had been found, Clara had left him in the bathroom, and after that incident she had been much freer with her words and more protective of her bunny.

Clara had always been very empathic, she hadn't been upset because she couldn't find her favourite toy, but that Clark the bunny was lost and alone and needed her. Clara had always been the first to lend a helping hand when someone was in need. Whether they were upset, worried, hurt or sick, she would be there. So far, no one had taken advantage of this, Clara had not been exposed to many people outside the town. Gotham had been the first big experiment and it had apparently gone well, although Clara had seemed pensive when she returned. Then there was the issue of the article, but Martha had been prepared for something like this. She was a young girl, and her association with Lex Luthor was bound to garner media attention. Jonathan wasn't handling it well, so he was doing what he always did, throwing himself into his work. He'd driven off unexpectedly today, and Martha suspected he'd gone to visit Lex Luthor. She hoped he hadn't done anything rash, like scare the poor boy. But ultimately she trusted him to do the right thing.

Jonathan's fears were not unfounded, once Clara went to college and was spending more time in the city, possibly living there because of her new funds, Martha worried that someone would take advantage of her. Not that anyone could harm her daughter physically, Martha thanked God for that every day, but someone as sweet as Clara was very open to getting her heart broken.

Lex Luthor could either be the beginning of a great chapter in Clara's life, or a runaway train heading for disaster.

It was too soon to tell, but Martha hoped it was the former. She walked away from the barn door, leaving an unaware Clara to hold the tractor for her father. Who knew how much longer they would have these quiet moments to themselves?

...

The Martian flicked through the data on the screen, there was the Green Arrow, young but capable, but he would need to be given a reason to work with others. The same for the Batman, he was smart and cunning, and had already proven capable of training others, but would need persuading to leave his sovereign city and ultimately his form made his skills limited. They were two likely candidates. Then the Themyscirian girl, the daughter of Hippolyta, she now bore the mantle of the peoples champion. She had yet to leave Themyscira, but she had great potential. Then there was the son of Atlantis, Orin, he had yet to come out of the shadows. They were possible allies for Kala, part of the next generation of heroes. But none were suitable to train, in the grand scheme of things, they didn't have what Kala needed, team mates but not mentors.

But, as he scanned the articles, it seemed that they were not the first attempt at such a feat. There had been another generation, strong and proud, a Justice Society of America. They had been disbanded, shattered, but some still lingered, still fought. They had the experience that so many of the others didn't, he would need to find them.

Justice never dies, those within its league just need to be reminded it exists.

**Author's Note: Thanks for reading, please review!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer: I don't own DC or Smallville, or Batman**

**Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait people, I've been a very busy little bee at my voluntary job as we've got important events lined up! Thanks for all your awesome reviews, here's Chapter 30!**

Chapter 30

"So, have you started shopping yet, there's only two weeks left!"

Clara was startled away from her typing to look up at Chloe, who was decking _The Torch_ office out in paper chains and tinsel. It was Friday, four days since Clara had come back from Gotham, and looking at the calendar she realised it was the 9th of December, only just over two weeks until Christmas. Even thought she was writing an article on the Christmas events, she hadn't realised how close it was.

"I haven't really thought about it, with everything that's been going on. I guess I'll have to start this weekend."

"Well I've already got you covered, I've been ebaying and amazoning since October. Now I just need something for Lois, she's always hard to buy for."

Clara bristled slightly at the mention of her childhood foe, thankfully Lois had gone back to Metropolis a few days earlier. She'd be back for the Christmas holidays, which started on the 21st, so Clara had a few weeks of peace with Chloe.

"I guess you've got some new people to buy for."

"True, I don't know what to get for my Grandpa, my Mom sends him a card with my picture every year, but now we're building a relationship I want to get him something from me. What do people usually get their Grandparents?"

"Ties? Novelty mugs? Don't you make some of your gifts in the Kent family? Like the bird house your Dad made for your Mom?"

"Yeah, but Grandpa's a Lawyer, and a Clark. I'm not sure if he'd want potted preserves."

"I'm sure he'll love whatever you get him. But your Grandpa wasn't who I was asking about."

"Who then?"

"Lex, are you getting him anything?"

Clara's stomach flip-flopped. She hadn't spoken to Lex since she'd gotten back from Gotham, she'd been busy preparing for exams and actively avoiding the student populous. Calling or texting hadn't seemed right either, she hoped he wasn't mad with her. But Chloe had introduced a new problem, what do you buy for the man who has everything?

"Yeah, now that you remind me, I am. I have no idea what though."

"I can see your problem, Lex practically owns all the stores in Metropolis. Maybe make him something? That is, if you ever speak to him again."

Chloe gave her a pointed look and Clara blushed, she was right, Clara was being a coward.

"His food delivery is on Sunday, I'm taking it with my Mom."

"Maybe you can scout out his office, to see if there's anything he doesn't have? Or drop a few subtle hints?"

"Maybe."

"Are you almost done?"

Clara glanced at the article on her screen, which was describing the different Yuletide events for Smallville. There was a Christmas arts and crafts bazaar, the Christmas light ceremony and tree in the town square, the annual Christmas Farmer's Market, which Clara would be working at, (she sold _a lot_ of pies each year) and the Christmas Carol Concert at the local Church.

"Yeah, I've just got to spell check then you can proof read it."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the office door and Clara turned to see Jason.

"Good Afternoon Ladies, If you don't mind Chloe, can I speak to Clara for a moment?"

"Sure Coach Teague, I'll go get us a coke from the vending machine Clara." Chloe looked between them quizzically before leaving the office, Jason moved out of the way and closed the door behind her.

Clara fidgeted in her chair, swizzing it round as Jason took another of the wheeled chairs and sat down. It wasn't comfortable knowing his deepest darkest secret, and him having no idea.

"Is something wrong Coach Teague?" Clara silently prayed he hadn't known she was under the bleachers that day, she fidgeted with her hands.

"Not at all Clara, you're not in any trouble, I know that a visit from a staff member isn't usually a pleasant experience, but I'm here about something else."

"Okay...how can I help you?"

"I've heard in the staff room that your teacher's have noticed you've become a bit withdrawn this week, avoiding interacting with your classmates, apart from Chloe of course. I was worried that the article in the Gotham Times had upset you. I grew up in the press's eye, I know how they can twist the most innocent of things into a scandal."

Clara blushed scarlet.

"You saw that?"

"Yes, the staff had a meeting about it on Monday. Lucas tells me Miss Fordman, have been singling you out because of it."

"It's fine, they're just being silly. They'll forget all about it soon."

"I understand how young people can be Clara, especially if you're different or special. I know I'm not your teacher directly, unless you plan on joining track" Jason gave her a pointed look, he and Coach Arnold had asked her more than once to join the track team.

"But, I want you to know my door is open to you to talk about anything. As a member of staff it's my responsibility to look after all the students here, and I don't allow anyone to exploit or victimise them, _anyone_."

Clara had a strange feeling Jason wasn't talking about Whitney.

"I grew up in Lex's circle Clara, it's like living in a friggin' glass house. If you need someone who understands, I'm here. If someone new turns up, someone strange, who asks too many questions, don't hesitate to call me. I hope you don't take offence, but Journalists can be real douches."

Jason handed Clara his card.

"Thanks Coach Teague."

"Have a good day Clara, I look forward to the next edition of _The Torch_."

Jason nodded to her and exited the office, leaving the door open behind him. Clara breathed out in relief, knowing someone's secret, and not telling them was hard, especially when they were being so nice to you. Chloe appeared with two cans of Coke a minute later.

"What was that about?" she asked as she handed the perspiration covered can to Clara.

"I think Coach Teague was offering to run off the Paparazzi if they come calling."

A look of realisation came over Chloe, as if the proverbial light bulb had turned on above her blond head.

"Oh, that makes sense now."

"What does?"

"On Tuesday this guy kept trying to get onto Campus and ask the students questions. Jason practically grabbed the guy round the scruff of the neck and escorted him off site."

"Why didn't I hear about it?"

"You've been too busy hiding."

Now Clara felt even worse, Jason had gone out of his way to protect her from the press, and she'd overheard a very private conversation, one that could get him fired.

"Well you have saved his life twice, I think he's trying to pay you back as much as he can."

Clara just nodded, it seemed life was getting more and more complicated.

...

Saturday consisted of chores, which Clara found comforting, and baking, which also helped. She planned to make an extra Apple pie for Lex, she would make sure it was as perfect as possible, maybe he'd be less upset with her radio silence if he was given confectionary. Clara supposed this is how some men felt when they were bad, and gave women flowers. Speaking of flowers, when they rode into town to drop off some of their produce at the local market, she saw Lucas wrangling Christmas trees and wreaths outside Nell's flower shop, they made a good trade at this time of year.

"Clara-Lily, could you go pick up our wreath? Here's the receipt, Nell should have it ready, I'll be in the grocers, I need to speak to them about the potatoes."

"Okay Mom" Clara said, taking the receipt, looking both ways, and crossed the street. Just because she was invulnerable didn't mean she ignored basic safety.

Lucas was struggling with a big pine, which even for a football player was looking precariously close to crushing him. Clara looked around the needles to see the strained look on his face. Pushing down the uneasy feeling of knowing one of Lucas's darkest secrets, she walked over and steadied the tree just as it was about to fall to the side. Lucas looked puzzled before she peeked her head round the netting which held the branches.

"Hey Lucas, you looked like you needed a little help there."

Lucas looked a little stunned before responding.

"Thanks Clara! Aunt Nell would have killed me if I crushed this tree, it's going to the Luthor Mansion."

"Really?" Clara looked at the nearly 8 ft tree and then imagined it decorated in Lex's living room, it fit.

"Yeah, Lex Luthor came and picked it out himself, said he wanted to support local business."

"That's great!" Clara said as she helped him manoeuvre the tree towards the waiting van, which had their logo on the side.

"Why are you on your own?"

"Nell needed to go stop a fight over some wreaths, Old Ladies get really crotchety this time of year."

They simultaneously put the tree into the van, and dusted off their hands.

"You're strong for a girl" Lucas said, before blushing, and stammering "sorry, that came out wrong."

"That's fine Lucas, I am stronger than the average girl. I'm a farmer, I bale hay for a living."

"Why don't you ever do sports? I know Coach Arnold used to nag you."

"I like journalism, that takes up the free time I have. While track would have been nice as an extracurricular, it wouldn't have given me the same buzz investigation does, I love finding out the truth of things, putting a puzzle together."

"I can see that in your writing, you're really good."

"Thanks" Clara reached into her pocket for the receipt "my Mom gave me the receipt for our wreath, can I pick it up?"

"Sure" Lucas brightened, and ushered her into the shop, skirting some particularly ravenous senior citizen scrutinising the fresh display of Holly wreaths.

Lucas came out of the back with the wreath; it was pine with pine cones, holly leaves and red berry's. The smell emanating from it just screamed "Christmas".

"Lucas it's beautiful!" Clara remembered back to her overheard conversation, she became curious, "who makes them?"

Lucas blushed and handed the wreath to Clara, rubbing the hair on the back of his head nervously.

"Um, I do. Nell's always busy with the financial side of things, so I make the wreaths and specialty flower pieces, as well as the window displays."

"You're really talented!" Clara felt a little guilty for using her secret knowledge, but Lucas needed a little "positive reinforcement", as Chloe would say. He really was very talented.

"Thanks, that means a lot" he said genuinely, although his forehead creased slightly. Clara wondered if he had told his Aunt Nell he was going to France next year, but of course she couldn't ask, she wasn't meant to know.

"Lucas, deary, could you wrap me up some of these Roses?" asked Mrs Peters, an elderly woman by the counter.

"Sure thing Mrs P, thanks for waiting, see you around Clara, I'm glad you like the wreath."

"Bye Lucas, see you in school" said Clara, securing the wreath in her arms before making her way back to the truck.

"Oh it looks wonderful Clara, I hope you thanked Nell" said Martha as they reloaded the truck.

"Actually, it's Lucas who makes them. He was there when I picked them up so I thanked him."

"Really? Well he's very talented."

"Yeah, he is." Clara got into the passenger seat of the truck and looked back at Nell's, Lucas had finished with the Roses and Nell was walking back into the store. Lucas was going to have to make a hard decision soon. Why couldn't things ever stay simple?

But who was she to talk, she was a orphaned alien who was now in the eye of the paparazzi for being too close to a billionaire playboy. It sounded like she was the heroine of a bad soap opera.

And tomorrow she'd be having a rendezvous with her leading man.

**Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait, a lot of important stuff happening at my voluntary job, please read and review! **


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville, Superman or DC**

**Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait, very very busy at the moment. This chapter deals with some sensitive issue, I hope I do them at least a little justice.**

Chapter 31

Lex sat at his desk, his default position these days it seemed, and stared at the towering tree in the corner of the room, bare and almost ominous. He'd seen it at the Lang boy's shop and has felt the buying impulse. Luthor's were nothing if not showy. But now he didn't really know what to do with it. He hadn't celebrated Christmas properly since his mother passed, she'd always made an effort to make it special, especially as his father was often away. Lex has always preferred that to when he was there. His mother would always plan a big party that included all the staff, not working, just enjoying themselves, most of the staff lived in the house with their families then, and they'd all shared Christmas dinner together. It was an unspoken rule that if Mr Luthor was home for Christmas, there would be no group celebrations. Lionel was like the reincarnation of Scrooge. Everything was about power displays, elaborate gifts, class definitions and inviting powerful people they didn't care about. Lex preferred eating Turkey with the staff, playing with their children, and the safety and security of the holiday when it was just he and his mother. When she was gone, the laughter had stopped, and he'd spent every holiday with business leaders and politicians until the age of 18, when he'd found other...pursuits to draw him away. Which was why he had no idea what had possessed him to buy this tree, perhaps to revive a ghost of a happy memory? But now he had it what would he do with it?

He was disturbed from his reverie by Gladys, his new PA, walking in with her clipboard and square rimmed glasses. She was a stern woman, middle-aged, and not to be trifled with. Part of the reason Lex chose her was because she in no way attracted him, young women in his employ often tried to get too close. Since meeting Clara the attention of his female staff had started to bother him, now he knew there was an alternative. The majority of his latest hires had been male or older women.

"Mr Luthor, your 10am conference call has been cancelled, and Mrs and Miss Kent have arrived with the morning delivery. Miss Kent has asked to see you if you are amenable." Gladys lifted her nose slightly, she obviously didn't approve. Lex felt a tense knot inside of him loosen, Clara was here, maybe she wasn't put off by the article. He opened his desk draw, looking at the photograph secreted inside framed in silver, and closed it. It wasn't the right time to display it yet.

"I've told you before Gladys, Clara doesn't have to ask, show her up."

Lex stood from his desk and surreptitiously gave himself an examination, nothing rumpled or out of place. A few moments later Clara walked in, her softly curling ebony hair bouncing as she moved, her neck clad in what Lex suspected was a hand knitted blue scarf perhaps made by Martha, and she was in trademark red leather jacket. Her lower half was clad in jeans and work boots. Clara was the picture of health and the outdoors and she was holding a box in her hands.

"Hi Lex, thanks for seeing me, I know how busy you are."

"I'm never too busy for you Clara. How have you been? I haven't heard from you since Gotham."

Lex decided to cut to the quick, was she angry, embarrassed? Repulsed at the idea people now considered them a couple? He leaned back against the front of his desk, at 5 ft 11, Clara was very close to his 6 ft, but subconsciously he didn't want to seem threatening so lounging on the desk gave him an air of relaxation. It seemed to work, because it lured Clara closer, so she could get eye contact with him.

"I'm sorry about that, things have just been...awkward at school."

Lex's forehead creased, as Clara tilted her head inwards, causing hair to fall into her eyes. Lex's hand automatically reached out and brushed it behind her ear. Her hands were full with the box, it was the gentlemanly thing to do. Clara's lip quirked.

"Have people been giving you a hard time? I know I'm not the most liked man around here. I can see how you would be embarrassed" he said, as he withdrew his hand to hold the edge of the desk.

Clara's eyes widened, did he think she was embarrassed of him?

"I'm not embarrassed that people think we're a couple, anyone would be lucky to have you Lex. People have just been paying a lot of attention to me this week and I'm not at all comfortable with it. It doesn't matter what they think, _we_ know the truth. They'll forget all about it soon, with Christmas coming and all."

Lex felt warmth rush through him, she wasn't embarrassed, wasn't ashamed of him. He stood up from leaning on the desk gracefully, and Clara couldn't help notice the way the purple silk shirt moved across his skin, her eyes began to burn and she needed to distract herself.

"Anyway, I wanted to say sorry for not seeing you this week, and I know you like my baking so... here."

Clara held out the box tentatively, soft blue eyes gazing hopefully at Lex. He felt the bottom of the box was still warm as he took it, the smell of apple wafted out as he opened it and his suspicion was confirmed.

"Apple pie, you do know me. Thank you Clara, you didn't have to, you've done nothing wrong."

"Well I feel like I have and I wanted to make it up to you."

Lex put the box on the desk and turned back.

"Your conscience seems to be working overtime, maybe you can loan it out to me for a while."

"I think yours works better than you give it credit for."

They looked at each other for a little while, Lex's lips quirked at her and she felt her cheeks warm. Seeking a way to break the silence Clara saw the tree Lucas had yesterday in her peripheral vision.

"I see you got the tree you ordered, I helped Lucas put it into the van yesterday."

Lex's eyebrow rose.

"I didn't know you worked for the Lang's."

"Oh I don't, I was collecting our wreath and saw that Lucas was having a little trouble."

"Ah, and like the Superwoman you are you flew to his rescue. Is there a single man in Smallville you haven't saved?" Lex quipped.

Without thinking Clara answered "Lucas isn't single" then felt ice run through her.

"I thought he broke up the with the Fordman girl? The one who strung you up like Christmas lights."

"He did, he's just seeing someone else now" Clara needed to change the subject, Lucas and Jason were counting on her not to tell "So when do you plan to decorate your tree?"

It worked, because Lex went from examining her to looking at the tree.

"I hadn't put much thought into it, it was an impulse buy."

Clara raised her eyebrows "A 7 ft Christmas tree is an impulse buy?"

Lex smirked "I bought a theme park when I was 17 because I was bored. Now when I buy real estate I try to make it more...constructive. I'm working on a few local transactions right now. As for the tree, I'll probably hire a designer to decorate it."

Clara frowned, that didn't seem very holiday spirited.

"You don't want to decorate it?"

Lex smiled wanly, it didn't reach his pale blue eyes.

"There's not much fun in decorating a tree by yourself."

Clara felt her heart ache a little, she sometimes forgot that other people didn't have a family like hers. Lex would probably be alone for Christmas this year, and if not, his father and he weren't on good enough terms to be eating Turkey together. Her decision was made.

"I could help...if you wanted. We could go get some tinsel and baubles in town and then make the rest, like paper chains and popcorn strings."

Clara was beaming at him, clearly enthused at the idea, like a child who knows she's getting a present.

"I don't think I've ever made paper chains, private school doesn't really encourage arts and crafts."

"Really? Well, there's a first time for everything! I've done my deliveries and chores for the day, are you free now?"

"Isn't your Mom waiting for you?"

"No, she dropped me off with my bike."

Lex looked at his watch, it was 10.30am, and his conference call was cancelled.

"I'm free until 6, then China calls."

"That's when I have to be home for dinner anyway. We can definitely have it done by then!"

"You sure you won't be ashamed to be seen with me?"

Clara smiled and grabbed his hand unexpectedly, starting to lead him away from his desk.

"Come on silly, let's go grab your coat."

As expected it was warm, designer and a tasteful shade of grey, the scarf he wore was thin and designer and Clara frowned.

"Won't your neck be cold?"

"We can't all have lovely homemade masterpieces like yours. Thank you for the concern, but I'll be fine."

Clara wasn't satisfied, but let it go. It gave her an idea though.

They headed to the car and got in, it was time to go Christmas decoration shopping.

...

"Well I guess that rumor is true" said Nel, Lucas's Aunt, as she saw Clark Kent and Lex Luthor walking side by side down the street with bags full of what looked like tinsel and Christmas decorations.

Lucas looked up from the flowers he was stemming, and shook his head.

"They're just friends."

Nel looked out again, to see Lex open the door of his car for Clara, and closing it behind her as she got in, before going back to the driver side door.

"Look awfully domestic to me. I doubt that Jonathan approves of his daughter stepping out with a Luthor, Lionel probably wouldn't approve either for that matter."

Lionel Luthor had bought Lucas's father's land from them when he was a child, Nel and Lionel had since had a cordial relationship. Lionel Luthor liked getting his way.

"It doesn't matter what they think, even if Clara is in a relationship with Lex, which she's _not_."

Nel looked over at Lucas, puzzled.

"You're awfully defensive on her behalf, do you have a soft spot for her? I don't understand why you stopped dating Whitney, I liked her, but perhaps Clara would be a nice change for you. Simpler. You're young, you should go out on dates."

Nel and Whitney had gotten along like a house on fire. She'd been very put out when Lucas and Whitney split up.

"She's my friend, and she's not my type."

Lucas lowered his head back to his work, he was dreading this conversation.

"Oh well, I'm sure you'll meet plenty of beautiful girls as star of the Metro-U football team."

Lucas's stomach clenched. They'd closed the shop early, it was a Sunday, and they were alone. Jason was right, he had to do it now.

"Nel, I...I have something to tell you."

"What is it?" Nel had gone back to counting receipts and removing the cash from the til ready to be put in the safe.

"I...I got an acceptance letter...for a scholarship."

Nel stopped counting and looked up, beaming.

"Really? That's wonderful Lucas! I didn't know you applied for a scholarship to Metro-U!"

Nel walked round the counter and hugged him before he could stop her, he remained stiff and waited for her to let go. Now or never.

"It's not a football scholarship to Met-U."

"Then what's it for? Kansas Tech?"

"It's an art scholarship"

Nel's face went blank "Art?"

"Yeah, for a school...in France."

Nel stayed quiet for a long time and Lucas felt his confidence seeping away with every second.

"Art...an art school...in Europe?"

"Yes Aunt Nel, it's what I want to do."

Suddenly Nel was animated again, gesturing her hands wildly.

"But what about football? The Metro-Sharks? Our plans, your dream!"

"I like football but it was never my dream, I did it because you wanted me too! Because my Dad did! I want to go to art school, for me, it's what I love."

"Lucas, I love Hershey's, it doesn't mean I want to be a chocolateer!"

"It's not like that, I've been drawing for years, and I'm good! I do all the window displays, the arranging, I have talent! I sent the school my portfolio and they gave me a scholarship!"

"What future is there in drawings? Football has a future, a _good_ future, keep drawing if you want but it won't put bread on the table."

"What future? Some days I feel like I can barely move, I get pains in my joints and if I get an injury like CJ I'll never fully recover!"

"Go to Metropolis, become a football player, meet a nice girl, settle down, it was our plan!"

"It was your plan, and I'm never going to settle down with a girl!"

"Honey you may feel that way now after splitting up with Whitney, but one day, you'll find the right one, just like your Mom and Dad and you'll be happy! I promise!" 

"No I won't! You don't understand, it's not just art school, I'm never going to be what you want!"

"What do you mean?"

Lucas drew in a breath, he had to bite the bullet.

"Aunt Nel, I'm gay."

Nel went very still, waited a couple of beats and replied "What do you mean you're gay? Of course you're not gay, you dated Whitney for two years!"

"Because I thought that was what I was meant to do, I like her, but as a friend, I never felt _that _way about her, we never _did _anything."

"Honey, you're young, and sometimes with the hormones, you can get confused..." she said, holding her hands out in pacifying gesture.

"I'm not confused, I know what I am, I just didn't want to admit it. I'm gay, I am attracted to men, and that's who I am, it's who I've always been."

Nel stayed quiet this time, her mouth moving slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but couldn't. Then slowly she recovered, starting to pace back and forth in front of him.

"It's my fault isn't it? You never had a stable father figure, and growing up in a flower shop couldn't have been the best thing for you masculine identity. Maybe if I'd gotten married, if you'd had a role model..."

Lucas took his Aunt's hands in his, stopping her from pacing.

"Aunt Nel, being gay isn't something that is nurtured, it's my nature. I was born this way and nothing you or anyone else did can change that."

Lucas hated to see her so upset and it tore him up inside that she couldn't seem to accept what he was saying.

Lucas led his Aunt to one of the stools by the work bench and had her sit down, and he knelt in front of her, still holding her hands.

After what seemed like an eternity, Nel spoke again, and Lucas was gratified she had not pulled away from him in repulsion.

"Going to France...studying art...that will make you happy?"

Lucas's head shot up.

"Yes, all I want is to be myself, I never wanted to hurt you."

"Lucas, all I've ever wanted is for you to be happy. I...I didn't realise you felt so pressured to be what I wanted. You know I'm not a very natural parent, I've messed up _a lot_. I'm sure that Lewis and Laura would have handled this far better than I ever could."

Nel took her hands out of Lucas's and he started to move away in defeat before she cupped his face in her hands.

"I've done my best for you, now I see it wasn't what you needed."

Nel took a deep breath.

"If being gay is who you are, then I don't love you any less than I did 20 minutes ago, it...will just take some adjustment. And, if going to France to study art will make you happy, I'll try my best to be happy too."

Lucas felt his eyes well up, and he grabbed his aunt into a hug before any tears could fall.

After a few moments of Nel rubbing his back, she spoke:

"What I don't understand is, if you're gay, why you never liked going shopping with me?"

Lucas couldn't hold it in any longer, he laughed. He and Nel had a long way to go, but it was a start.

**Author's Note: I hope you liked it, I got a bit teary when I wrote Lucas's scene, hopefully I did it some justice. I know a lot of people don't get any acceptance for who they are, and that makes me sad, I wanted Lucas to at least have some. Please read and review! **


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville or Superman or DC**

**Author's Note: Thanks for waiting, hope you enjoy it. My heart goes out to all the victims of the events in Denver Colorado. It is terrible that people who gathered in peace for the love of Sci-fi could lose their lives and become injured in such a way. My thoughts are with their families at this time. **

**Chapter 32**

Lex sat at his desk, surrounding by strips of coloured paper, and wondered how he had been persuaded to do this. Then he glanced at the raven haired beauty next to him who was pulling the adhesive strips off the paper and curling them into links in a chain. Her hair was falling gracefully to the side, a dimple on her cheek as her lip curled, and he knew why. Lex had to admit, it was a calming activity. His half of the chain was coming together far slower than Clara's, but he did feel a strange sense of achievement as he saw it grow. Arts and Crafts had never been his forte, even as a child. He'd been a book worm, anything written, books, magazines, comics, and his eyes would be glued to them. Something about the repetitiveness of this task was soothing though, and especially the company.

"There, my side's done, what about you?" Clara asked, turning to smile at him.

Lex looked down, he only had a few strips left, they'd been at it for nearly 45 minutes and he was sure together their chains were over 14 feet long.

"Almost" Lex said, as he stuck the last few links on.

"There" he said, with a sense of triumph.

"Here, let me join mine to yours"

Lex watched as Clara took the last strip of paper and bound his side of the chain to hers, something about it made his insides flutter.

"Now it's done, let's put it on the tree!" Clara said excitedly, and Lex smirked, the simplest things made her happy. While he wasn't a convert to "do it yourself decorations" he did enjoy the time he was spending with her, it was worth a little of his dignity.

Lex gathered one side of the chain while Clara took the other, and headed towards the partially decorated tree. They'd fetched a step ladder from the rather bemused site manager, and Clara had insisted on being the one to climb it to the highest parts of the tree when stringing the lights and tinsel.

"We both know I'm...sturdier...than you are. Plus, I don't think your life insurance policy would cover falling from a ladder" Clara has said cheekily before climbing.

"Fine, but I get to hang the star"

"Deal".

Clara had mentioned it in jest, but in fact Lex knew his policy covered everything but suicide, and the current beneficiary of that and his Will were his father, unless he happened to marry or have children.

Lex had watched with anxiety as she went higher, and also tried not to notice how well her jeans fit her from that angle. It took them only a few hours to string the tree with lights, tinsel, paper chains and to begin hanging baubles.

"At my house we have glass ones we got from my Dad's mother. They don't make them like that anymore. But these are still pretty" said Clara, examining a red and gold bauble before handing it on a branch.

"They took care with their craftsmanship back then. It's part of the reason I tend to buy antiques. Modern industry has done a lot for us but it's also taken some of the magic out of making things."

The baubles were hung up and ribbons added to the ends of branches. Then Clara handed Lex a gold star.

"At my house this is usually my Dad's job. It's an old tradition from my Grandfather but we like it."

Lex felt oddly like he was stepping into Jonathan Kent's shoes as he climbed the ladder and placed the star at the top. Climbing down they stepped back to admire their handiwork.

"See, didn't I tell you? It's much better this way!" said Clara, grinning at Lex and then looking back at the magnificent tree.

Lex wasn't looking at the tree, he was looking at Clara. It was as if she lit up from the inside and it shone throughout the room.

"Yes, it's perfect" and he wasn't talking about the tree.

Lex felt a little bereft after she left. The tree stood there as a reminder of their time together, but also mocking him for her absence.

In an ideal work, Clara wouldn't need to go home, her home would be here with him. But it was too early for that, far too early. Lex had realised his feelings for the 18-year-old were no longer strictly platonic, but he couldn't do anything about them. It was becoming a sweet torture to spend time with her, but he was a Luthor, they liked self abasement. He would suffer to be with her, because it was worth it, even if she never felt the same way. Laconically Lex thought:

"_It is the east and Clara Kent is the Sun._"

He wasn't in love, not yet. But he felt something, a connection he had never felt with a woman before.

It had suddenly gotten very important to give her an appropriate Christmas present.

...

When you're small and December comes, it seems to stretch on forever. Every window of the advent calendar, every decoration, every card is a tease, a small torture as you long for the actual day. Clara remembered she would wake up at 3 or 4am, if she managed to sleep at all, and feel the jolts of excitement that refused to let her be still. She would run into her parents' room, jump on the bed, and try to wake them. Waking up at 4am was the norm for a farm, so her father would just look at his wife, smile, and throw Clara over his shoulder into a piggy back to carry her downstairs for breakfast. Christmas didn't mean there weren't chores to be done, animals to be fed, eggs collected, property checked. Clara knew the sooner those things were done, the faster she would get to her presents.

Clara wasn't waiting for the newest doll, the latest videogame or the year's fad toy. Instead, the Kent family had a tradition, they made the majority of their gifts. Anyone can go out and buy something, but to craft something with someone in mind makes the gift much more meaningful. So, over the years Clara had gotten a rocking horse carved by her father, as well as cars and different animals. From her mother she had scarves, dolls, blankets, homemade jewellery, and as she got older, family heirlooms. Clara reciprocated, and as she got older her macaroni pictures and clay mouldings became knitted jumpers and carved figurines. Clara had liked these crafts, they came naturally to her, and she deliberately did them at human speed, somehow going as fast as she was able felt like cheating.

When Lex had made the comment about her scarf, his Christmas gift became obvious. So she'd gone out and bought several bundles of the softest wool she could find in navy blue and rich purple, and started knitting. She'd noticed Lex seemed to prefer blues and purples, hopefully he would like the scarf, and wouldn't think it was stupid. She'd finished her projects for her family and Chloe, her father would be getting a new red sweater, her mother a patchwork blankets, and Chloe a double crocheted hat with a crochet flower sewn to it. Chloe liked hats with a little quirk in them. It saddened Clara she wouldn't be making anything for Pete this year, since he'd left they'd only spoken once, she didn't even know his new address to send him something. She could never have imagined something like that happening last year.

Clara examined the nearly finished scarf, she'd started all her projects nearly two weeks ago, and was proud with her progress. She'd been taking extra care with her stitches, knitting was a bit trickier than crochet because it required two needles rather than a hook. There was only one more week until Christmas, and she and Chloe had been reporting on all the Christmas events in town. She'd be working the farmer's market this weekend, when the real rush for last minute buying would begin. Laying down her knitting she sped to the kitchen to check on the pies in the oven, nearly done. They'd be left to cool and then frozen so they would only need to be defrosted and reheated.

Tomorrow would be the day before Christmas Eve, school had let out four days ago, to allow travel time for people who had to go a long distance to see family. Lois Lane had arrived that day too, so Clara and Chloe had exchanged gifts beforehand. Chloe knew Lois made her uncomfortable. Lois was always unbearable on holidays, but Clara thought back to what her Dad had said. It must be hard for Lois to be away from her father and sister at this time of year. It didn't stop her being a pain in the behind though.

William Clark wasn't going to be spending Christmas day with them. He'd been invited to a very important event the next day in Tokyo and so would be representing a client there. Still, he was going to come for dinner on Christmas Eve before flying out. Martha was still very excited, she hadn't celebrated Christmas with her father for nearly 15 years. It had been a special time for her own mother, and since her death her father had never fully recovered.

Family was important at this time of year. Clara wondered if there had been a similar holiday on Krypton? Did they even have a religion? It often occurred to Clara that if her planet had survived she would be a completely different person, she would be Kala-El, daughter of Jor and Lara-El, who knew nothing of Christmas, or Earth, or of the Kent family. Would she have had brothers or sisters? A boyfriend? For all she knew they had arranged marriages on Krypton. How different was that world to Earth? There were so many possibilities and so many questions. She might never get the answer to all of them, but she might get some. She'd been complacent, Jor-El had told her to find the crystals of power to find the answer, but she'd been caught up in her human life so much she often completely forgot. When she found them did she want to know the secrets they held? Her world was opening up so fast, this whole other person she could have been was emerging, and she had no idea if she liked who this person could be, and if she wanted it to be part of her. But she was a Kent, whatever else she was, and Kent's faced their problems.

But for now it was time to focus on Human Clara, who had to finish her Christmas gifts and start helping prepare dinner.

Kala-El could wait until the New Year, when she had work to do.

**Author's Note: Thanks for reading, please review!**


	33. Chapter 33

**Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville, Superman or DC**

**Author's Note: I thought I'd to an ode to one of my favourite episodes although it won't be identical to the series. So here's Christmas Day! Thanks for all your wonderful reviews, I hope you enjoy it!**

**Chapter 33: Krypto – Part 1**

"_It was the night before Christmas and just like a wraith, a quadruped figure was opening a safe." _

The Golden Retriever turned the dial with a clawed paw, ears twitching for the clicks until finally the lock snapped. He bit the handle, turned and pulled and wagged his tail as he looked at the contents. He turned behind him and used his teeth to drag over a bag, and then used his paw to tip the wads of cash and jewellery into it. Then he delicately zipped the bag with his teeth, picked it up, and exited through the dog door in the kitchen. But it hadn't been a Cat Burglar, but a Dog Burglar.

...

"How did we do?"

Zack Greenfield unzipped the bag on the examination table, pulling out wads of cash and jewellery.

"Mutt did good. There's about $2,000 in cash and around $1,000 in jewellery. Gotta love people too paranoid to put their goods in the bank."

Josh Greenfield was kneeling by the Golden Retriever in question, who was looking at him with big brown eyes and his tongue lolling out.

"Who's a good boy Einstein? You're a good boy!"

Josh scratched the dogs head and Einstein barked in approval, tail wagging. A Rottweiler in the cage in the corner barked in protest at the lack of attention coming his way. Josh looked over and smiled, taking out two sausages from his pocket and giving one to Einstein and getting up to drop one into the Rottweiler's cage.

"You're a good boy too Hercules."

Zack dumped the contents back in the bag and gave the dogs a disdainful look.

"It was genius to hit the house while they were away for the holidays, that'll teach Mr Houston to fire me from the grocery store."

"That was 7 years ago Zack!"

"Revenge is best served cold."

Josh led the obedient Einstein into his cage across the room from Hercules, and he dutifully curled up as the door was shut.

"Does this mean we can stop Zack? We've got £20,000 dollars over the last month from the surrounding towns. That's enough to get us out of here and start somewhere new."

"Not yet, I've got another target in mind, then we'll get out of here."

"Who?"

"Why, Lex Luthor of course. His dad fired you without severance pay; I reckon you're entitled to a little compensation."

"Luthor? But, I don't think Einstein could handle that, he's probably got more security than Fort Knox! What if he gets caught?"

"Then they'll bring him here, we're the only vet practise for small animals in Smallville. And if the Mutt gets himself shot we have enough of that Meteor-Rock cocktail to make another Super-Dog. They're just animals Joshy, they're expendable."

"But..."

Zack turned round and grabbed Josh's shoulders.

"I may be the youngest, but who looked after _you_ when Dad ran out and Mom got sick?"

Josh looked down in defeat.

"You did."

"I've always done what's best for you haven't I?"

"Yes"

"Tomorrow is Christmas Day, most of his staff will be home for the holidays, hell, even he might not be there. We send in the dog, get the money and we're out of this Podunk town. We'll send in Hercules as back-up if you want?"

"No, Hercules is for attack, he isn't meant for stealth. Einstein can do it; I know he can do it."

"Good, shoot him up with his smart-juice again tomorrow, and we'll be having a very Merry Christmas. Then we'll put them down, and get out of here."

"Put them down?"

"We don't want to have any evidence on us do we? Put them both down and then we'll go."

Einstein was staring at the two intently, tail still and a plan forming in his enhanced Canine mind.

Zack and Josh Greenfield turned off the lights of the veterinary surgery, and locked the door. Zack neglected to notice a window he'd left unlocked.

Listening intently and hearing nothing, Einstein the dog used his teeth to unlock his cage door. For a dog that could open safes, a dog-proof cage was nothing. Once out he shook himself and looked to his compatriot who was whining in his cage. Einstein padded over and undid the cage, and Hercules bounded out. They both climbed out of the window and into the night.

...

Christmas Eve had been an interesting experience for the Kent family with the addition of Martha's father. Although he and Jonathan actively avoided talking to each other, dinner had been pleasant, the rest had made nice small talk, and gifts had been exchanged but not opened as it wasn't Christmas day. William Clark had embraced his daughter and granddaughter, shaken hands tensely with his Son-in-Law, and gotten in his chauffeur car to go to Metropolis Airport. The gifts had been placed under the tree, and they'd all gone to bed.

Christmas Day went to its usual routine, they woke early and tended to the animals, feeding them a little extra as it was Christmas and did their rounds of the property to make sure all was well. Breakfast consisted of pancakes, and then they opened their presents. Jonathan how had a new sweater from Clara and a scarf from Martha, Martha has a carved Jewellery box from Jonathan and a new set of cushion covers from Clara, and Clara had a new patchwork quilt from her Mom and a carved wooden chest with her name engraved into it.

"Dad, this is awesome! Thank you!"

"I think you've outgrown your old one. If you decide to room in Metropolis for college you might want to bring a little of home with you. Open it, there's a surprise."

Clara opened the chest and her Dad showed her that the trunk had a false bottom, underneath was a compartment big enough to hide items, and carved with the symbol of the house of El.

"Just in case you need somewhere to keep things safe."

They hugged, and then worked together to start preparing dinner. Jonathan washed and peeled while Martha and Clara began to cook. Dinner as always was delicious and they rounded off the afternoon by playing chess and other board games. Their Christmas had been regular and peaceful, until 7pm when a car screeched into their driveway and frantic knocking rattled their door.

...

Lex Luthor twisted his food round on his fork while sat at his elaborate dining room table. The catering team had prepared everything in advance, and he'd sent them home last night. He'd reheated everything but now didn't feel much like eating. He was sick of eating alone. Still, he was thankful his father hadn't decided to make an appearance, being alone was better than being with him. Clara was probably with her parents now, eating dinner and enjoying a life he had never had. He wasn't even sure if he was capable of it. Luthor's destroy everything they touch eventually. He took a sip of his brandy, which so far he hadn't touched and then looked at it and pushed it away in disgust. He wasn't going to resort to drink. Lex decided he was going to get out of this living tomb; he was going for a drive.

Lex put on his coat and gloves, neglecting his ineffective Gucci scarf, and slipped on his leather driving gloves. The roads surrounding his property were almost pitch black, pure country only illuminated by his high-beams and the moon which was waning half full. He drove further and further from his property, heading into the highway that led to town. It was Christmas Day, everyone would be with their families, and the road was ominous in its emptiness. Lex felt his mind wandering and in that moment a gold blur ran in front of his car and he swerved, clipping the gold figure and causing him to run off the road. When he halted he was stunned for a moment, then realised he had hit something. As he moved he saw he was unhurt, and he climbed out, searching for the cause of his crash. He heard a high pitched whine, and he turned back, taking a torch from his glove compartment, and pointing it towards the road as he searched. His heart raced a mile a minute as he located the source of the noise and there on the ground was a Golden Retriever lying on its side and keening in pain. Damn it, he'd hit a dog, now he was the Luthor that had probably killed a puppy. Kneeling by the dog, he didn't see any blood, but there was probably internal damage. It was Christmas day, there would be no veterinary practise open, and he didn't know where it would be anyway. Looking around him, Lex realised he was only 3 minutes away from Clara's farm, the Kent's dealt with animals for a living, perhaps they'd be able to help.

Carefully, he lifted the dog, which thankfully didn't snap or bark at him, but did give a hurt whine which caused Lex's heart to clench. Huh, he did have empathy after all. He placed the dog carefully in the back seat and laid his jacket over it, and started towards the Kent's, way over the speed limit. In 2 minutes he came to a screeching halt outside, got out, and collected the Golden Retriever from the back seat, using his foot to knock at the door.

Jonathan Kent answered the door to the sight of a bedraggled Lex Luthor holding a Golden Retriever wrapped in a designer coat.

"I'm sorry to disturb you on your holiday Mr Kent, but this dog ran in front of my car and you were the only person I could think of who could help."

Jonathan sprang into action.

"Bring him in Mr Luthor. Martha! Clear the kitchen table please, we've got a patient."

Martha Kent arrived in the hallway to see the commotion.

"Hello Lex, oh dear, what's happened here" she said, reaching to pet the dogs head and walking with them as they headed to the Kitchen. She cleared the table and laid a blanket that was hanging on the chair on top of it. Clara walked down the stairs to the sight of Lex and her parents hovering over a dog on the kitchen table.

"Clara, could you fetch your father's vet supplies from the barn please" said Martha.

Clara ran at human speed until she left the house, then at super speed to the barn and back. Lex was too worried when she arrived to question the time discrepancy.

"Clara-Lily, why don't you take Lex out to the barn while your father and I work?"

Clara understood, her parents didn't want Lex hovering and worrying, it was better to try and get his mind on something else for a while, until they knew if the dog was alright or not.

Jonathan Kent was feeling the dog's limbs and trying to find any breaks while it whined. Clara's heart and stomach clenched, she hated to see anything in pain. She saw her mother preparing a syringe of what she suspected was a pain killer, and she took Lex and his jacket out of the house.

The December air was crisp and cold as they walked across the property and Lex's shocked mind was puzzled by the fact Clara was leading him to the barn. She opened the door and then led him up a set of planked steps into a loft, and Lex did not see what he expected. Instead of bales of hay there was a small round carpet, a bright red couch with a crochet throw, fairy lights strung across the walls, a shelf full of books, a small wooden chest (which he assumed was used as a coffee table) and a large cut out window with shutters which were closed, beside it was a telescope and stand. There was a wooden desk and chair in the left corner covered with papers and assorted brick a brack was dotted throughout the space.

Clara turned on a space heater near the couch which was really more for Lex's benefit than hers and invited him to sit down, but instead he was looking around.

"What is this?"

"Oh, this is my loft, my Dad made it for me. He calls it my "Fortress of Solitude."

"It's nice, it suits you."

Lex noticed a brand new chest by the back of the couch, it had Clara's name engraved on it.

"Is this new?"

"Yes, my Dad made it for me for Christmas."

"It's really expertly crafted."

"It's a hobby of his; he's taught me a few things. I mostly carve though, I don't build."

Lex observed a shelf full of different carved animals, varying in skill. Clara must have improved immensely over the years; it showed the evolution of her craft.

"These are good."

"I like doing it; I've gotten a lot better since I've practised more."

Lex saw the carving of a dog on the shelf and felt his gut wrench. What would Clara think of him if the dog didn't survive?

"I hope the dog's okay" Clara said, echoing his thoughts.

Her next question surprised him.

"Are you alright, it must have been a shock, him running in front of you like that."

Lex looked at her puzzled.

"How did you know that?"

"I heard you tell my Dad, I was only just upstairs."

Not everyone could have heard what he had said, he didn't exactly shout it. Enhanced hearing was now on the list. But he let it go.

"But you didn't answer my question, are you alright?"

"I'm fine Clara."

Lex stood still next to the shelf and Clara knew he was lying.

"You know...it wasn't your fault. These things happen. It was dark and the roads around here can be pretty treacherous."

"I hit a dog Clara, he came out of nowhere. I don't exactly have a great track record for automobile accidents."

"But you cared enough to bring him here" she said, walking towards him and coming to stand by him "I'd say that conscience of yours _is_ working. It's alright to be upset, it must have been scary."

"My father taught me long ago that Luthor's can't feel fear."

"You're not made of stone Lex. You're human; it's alright to feel what you need to. Anyway, I thought we'd agreed your father isn't right about everything."

Lex's lip twitched at that, and he did feel better. Clara always made everything seem brighter.

Lex involuntarily shivered as a gust of wind went through the barn and it made Clara remember.

"Oh, I guess while you're here I might as well give you your present."

"You didn't have to buy me anything Clara."

"I didn't" she said, her lip lifting and she went to her desk to retrieve a lumpy package. She'd put it there so it wouldn't get mixed with the presents under the tree.

"Merry Christmas Lex, I know it's not much but I thought you needed it" she said as they sat on the couch.

Lex looked at the package curiously and then opened it; the wrapping was neat as possible for a lumpy gift, bright red, with a blue bow and ribbon.

Carefully pealing back the paper, Lex revealed a soft royal purple and navy clue striped scarf with tassels. It was warm to his fingertips, and had no labels, tags or insignias.

"Did you make this?"

"Yes. You don't like it do you? I'm sorry, I just remembered you admiring the scarf my Mom made me and..."

Lex cut off her apologies "Clara, I love it. No one's ever done something like this for me before."

Lex pulled the scarf out reverently, feeling the softness of the yarn and looking at the neatness of the stitches. Then he wrapped it around his chilled neck and felt warm inside and out.

"Thank you Clara" he said in earnest "I would give you my gift, but considering the situation I don't have it with me."

"You didn't need to get me anything."

"I wanted to, and I have."

Clara and Lex looked at each other, just enjoying the company and Lex was exceedingly glad he got to see her today. Despite the tragedy of the dog, spending time with Clara had made the terrible day a little better.

Martha Kent's voice came from below.

"Clara sweetie, the dog's going to be alright. Why don't you and Lex come in from the cold and have a hot drink!"

Lex exhaled the breath he didn't know he was holding. He wasn't a murderer.

Not this time.

**Author's Note: Thanks for reading, please review!**


	34. Chapter 34

**Disclaimer: I don't own DC, Superman or Smallville.**

**Author's Note: Here's the second part of our three parter! Thanks for all your lovely reviews and for your patience, there are a lot of project deadlines I'm having to meet right now!**

**Krypto, Part 2**

**Chapter 34**

Clara sat on the couch with her new patient wrapped in a plaid blanket beside her, giving off little whines. Her Mom had said the dog was in shock but there were no physical injuries apart from some bruises. After assuring himself that the dog was alright (visually, he hadn't come close to him) Lex had left them to the rest of their Christmas Day. He pledged to pay any expenses incurred while he searched for the dog's owner. Clara was glad for both Lex's and the dog's sake that this had ended happily.

Hearing another whine and looking into the big chocolate brown eyes of the dog who was looking at her in a sorrowful expression. Clara reached over and started softly patting his head. She hated seeing anyone in pain, and that included animals.

"I had a dog that looked like him when I was growing up, we called him Shelby" said Martha from the kitchen, as she cleaned up their make-shift veterinary surgery.

Clara stroked his neck and felt nothing there but silky fur.

"Did he have a collar?"

Martha opened the garbage can and dumped the cotton wipes and bandages in it.

"Not that we saw sweetie, but if we take him to the vets in a day or so we can get them to check if he's micro-chipped."

The dogs whine increased and he buried his head in his paw, covering his nose before yelping at his soreness. Clara stroked a little softer, worried she'd pressed on a bruise.

"You don't think he's a stray?"

Martha washed off her hands and came from the kitchen to sit on the little coffee table by the couch, opposite Clara. She reached out her hand and stroked the dog's side gently over the cloth.

"He's very well fed if he is. His hair is brushed and he's obviously been socialised with humans. He probably escaped from a backyard somewhere and will be missed fairly soon. Who wouldn't miss him? He's a very handsome boy."

The dog looked at Martha, watching her mouth with a look of concentration and his tongue lolled at the last statement. If Clara didn't know better she'd have thought he understood her Mom.

Jonathan Kent walked into the room from the hallway and stood behind the couch.

"Well, no one's reported a dog missing, I called Ethan and he hasn't heard anything."

Sheriff Ethan Miller had been Sheriff since the meteor shower. It was common practise for him to hook his home phone up to the Police 911 calls on holidays, so no one would have to man the station for the day. It was a small town, policing was done differently, Clara was sure you could never close a police station in Metropolis. But crime was rare in Smallville, at least serious crime. Sheriff Miller spent most of his time corralling the local teenagers and settling disputes over land boundaries and filched cattle. Well, until the break-ins at Luthor Corp facilities anyway.

A lost dog would be par the course.

"They'll probably phone it in tomorrow" said Jonathan, leaning over his daughter to look at their furry house guest.

Clara looked between her father and the dog, "What if no one claims him?"

"Then he'll go to the animal shelter. He's a good looking dog, he'll be adopted pretty fast" said Jonathan, smiling at the golden creature who shifted to have his head in Clara's lap.

Clara didn't like the idea of the honey coloured hound ending up in a cage somewhere, all alone waiting for someone to pick him. She had a soft spot for orphans.

"If no one claims him...can we keep him? I'd do everything, I'd walk him, feed him out of my allowance, and he's still a young dog, we could teach him to guard the house!" Clara said, looking pleadingly between her parents.

"Clara-Lily, don't get ahead of yourself. A dog is a lot of work, and with you going to college next year, the responsibility would fall to us" said Martha, trying to ignore the big blue eyes that were now glued to her, she looked meaningfully at her husband.

Jonathan took over.

"How about this, _if_ no one reports him missing, and _if_ no one claims him, then we'll _talk_ about taking him in."

"Really?!" said Clara, stroking the dog, who had now stopped whining.

"Yes. But don't get your hopes up honey, he looks well cared for, there'll be someone missing him soon."

...

Lex slammed his front door with an air of finality and relief. It would have been just the Luthor style to murder a puppy on Christmas day, like an offering to the God's of capitalism for the coming tax year. His father specialised in laying off his employees on holidays. Luthor's were not known for severance pay. The Grinch had nothing on Lionel Luthor.

Lex placed the blueberry pie Mrs Kent had insisted he take on the side, and carefully took off his handmade scarf. No one had ever put that much effort into a gift for him before. The Kent's were the epitome of the perfect family, you felt wonderful just by being in their presence. But for Lex, that feeling was tempered by a deep sense of inadequacy, he would never be like them.

Pouring a scotch and knocking it back, Lex sensed movement out of the corner of his eye, and it wasn't a small movement. A deep growl entered his ears, echoing to the cavernous ceiling of the living room. Out of the shadows walked a hulking quadruped figure, from what Lex knew of dogs it was a Rottweiler. The dog was baring its teeth, stalking towards him, a dog made of muscles and fangs. Lex had no weapons, his gun was locked in the safe across the room, he'd never make it, and he didn't want to make any sudden movements. Slowly reaching behind him to the desk, his hand grasped the first thing it could find and flung it towards the furry intruder.

The dog rushed forward, and dove on the blueberry pie that was strewn across the floor, stumped tail wagging, and tension releasing from its form. It wolfed down the pie in moments, and then sat on the ground looking at Lex, but without the previous aggression.

"How did you get in here?" Lex queried, looking around. The dog could still be volatile, it was a fighting and guarding breed, but the breach in security needed to be dealt with. What were the odds that he would encounter two unattended dogs in one night? Had they come from the same place?

Watching the dog look at him, and with the shock of his near-miss with the Labrador, and it being Christmas Day and all, Lex didn't feel inclined to try and harm the dog.

The giant dog whined at him, looking at him with big dark eyes and using his paw to push the foil tray the pie came in, shifting himself on the floor.

"You're pretty hungry aren't you?" said Lex, taking a cautious step forward. The dog's thick head tilted to the side, watching him. He licked his chops of the blueberry residue as if in agreement.

Should he call the Kent's? No, he'd disturbed their holiday enough, and already given them a patient, this dog seemed perfectly healthy, if a little hungry.

What should he do with it? He didn't have a collar or a lead, or any kind of cage. He had no experience with canines. But he was a Luthor, they were problem solvers. This was like any business meeting with a hostile adversary, a negotiation. First impressions had been established, and he'd identified a weakness.

"Do you want some turkey?"

The dog's ears pricked at the word, and he stood up, tongue lolling. Lex smirked, the weakness was confirmed, now it would be exploited.

"Fine, let's go get you some turkey. As long as you don't try and eat me we'll be fine."

The dog trotted beside Lex as they headed towards the kitchen. Lex had little experience of dogs, before the meteor shower he'd had asthma, and Lionel didn't allow pets because they encouraged weakness. But this canine obviously was intelligent enough to understand that obedience gave rewards, which meant he was socialised.

Entering the kitchen and opening the fridge, Lex found his goal. He laid the partially eaten turkey carcass on the floor in its tray, and the dog started scoffing it down quick as lightning. Looking at him, Lex decided the mutt wasn't so bad. Not as instantly cute has his traffic accident victim, but still endearing in his hulking clumsiness.

But how had he gotten into the mansion? That was a major security breach. But then, he'd sent the staff home for Christmas, leaving only the security system.

How could a Rottweiler get past a state of the art security system without setting it off?

An inspection was in order. Lex looked at the dog again and saw that negotiations were complete. He left the happy dog to his meat and started inspecting the bottom floor room by room. Everything was in order, until he came to one of the guest bedrooms on the ground floor, and found the window wide open, and muddy dog paw prints on the ledge. Someone had left a window open, perhaps when cleaning, and left his house open to burglary. He'd have to check the schedule, someone was getting reprimanded.

A whine occurred behind him, and he shut the window, it was letting in frigid air. The Rottweiller was sitting behind him, Turkey residue on his muzzle making it slick with animal fat. He licked his chops happily and seemed far better predisposed to Lex. So bribery had worked, as in most Luthor negotiations. He had at least learned that from his father.

"Well, at least you didn't break and enter" Lex checked his watch, it was 9 p.m., no point in calling anyone.

"Looks like you're bunking with me tonight until we figure out who owns you"

The dog tilted his head, watching Lex's mouth intently. There was a strange intelligence in his dark eyes. But, despite the strangeness of the situation, Lex was quite glad he wasn't alone in the mansion on Christmas. Even if the only companion available was covered in slobber and fur.

"How about I get some popcorn, and we go watch some tv?"

The dog responded to the word "popcorn" with a happy and anticipatory bark that echoes sharply to the cavernous ceiling.

"Happy Christmas Lex" he muttered to himself, leading the dog back to the kitchen.

What a strange one it had been.

...

Zack and Josh Greenfield walked into the vet practise the day after Christmas, and Josh began to feed the residents in the wall-cages. It had been a nice day, one of the best Christmases he could remember, they'd bought dinner, watched a movie, and not fought once. It was almost as good as when Mom was alive. Zack had to admit he was glad they did it, even if he thought the holiday was stupid. Entering the main examination room, Zack froze. Both cages were open, their occupants missing, and the window open wide.

And with them any chance of getting out of this hell hole town.

"Where the hell are the damn dogs?!"

**Author's Note: I hope you like it! Please read and review!**


	35. Chapter 35

**Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville, DC or any of it!**

**Author's Note: Thanks for all your patience and reviews, this is the 3****rd**** part of the episode, the final part I hope to post in the next week!**

**Chapter 35**

Clara was worried that the Golden Retriever would wander off on their walk, but after 5 minutes of walking she'd notice that the dog never went more than a foot away from her. Once Goldy (as she'd nicknamed him) had started walking again the day after Christmas, he'd taken to following any given member of the Kent family around the house. When they'd left him on his own downstairs on the first night, Goldy had managed to open the stair, and Clara's door on his own, and settled himself at the foot of her bed. She hadn't minded, she'd always wanted a pet, the animals on the farm were for work, not cuddling. That didn't stop her slipping the horses sugar cubes.

Chloe came round to exchange presents on the 2 days after Christmas, Clara had informed her of their new guest on the phone, so thankfully she didn't bring Lois with her, as she was allergic to dogs.

"He's cute" she said, ruffling the dogs fur, talking to Clara over her shoulder, who was making hot coco for them in the kitchen.

"Are you keeping him?"

The dogs tongue lolled and he panted in that happy way that only canines can.

"We don't know if he belongs to anyone else yet. My parents said that if no one claims him they'd think about it. I hope we do, he's awesome" said Clara, placing a cup of the chocolate beverage, complete with marshmallows, on a coaster on the coffee table for Chloe. She snuck the dog a cookie, and he chomped it happily.

"Thanks" said Chloe, picking it up.

"You're welcome" replied Clara, sitting down and placing a plate of gingerbread cookies down. Her mother had always insisted that you offered food to guests, it was just polite. Clara has almost creased up when her mother managed to unload an entire pie on Lex, she hoped he enjoyed it.

"You know, Golden Retrievers are meant to be very intelligent, they're used as guide dogs. Does he do any tricks?"

Clara considered this, the dog did always seem very alert, and last night he _had_ figured out how to open her bedroom door.

"Well he knows how to open doors. Maybe he was someone's helper dog?"

"Let's try an experiment" said Chloe, placing her coco on the coaster and sitting up, looking intently at the dog.

"Sit."

The dog just stood there, wagging his tail.

"Lie down."

Still nothing.

"Roll over."

The dog tilted his head quizzically looking at her with big brown eyes.

Chloe scoffed and picked up her coco again: "You _sure_ he opened a door?"

Clara considered the dog, and then remembered that he was a _Retriever_, so on a whim she took a leap of faith.

"Goldy, go get your blanket please."

The dog turned and ran into the kitchen, returning a few moments later with the plaid blanket he'd been sleeping on yesterday in his mouth. He dragged it with ease and presented it proudly to Clara, tail wagging.

"Good boy!" she said, taking the blanket from him and putting her arms around his neck. His tail wagged madly.

Chloe looked at him in wonder and suspicion "Well that was pretty specific. If you keep him, send him out to find gold."

The dogs ears pricked at the last word.

"Oh" said Clara, the mention of gold reminding her, "Let me go get your present, it's out in the barn on my desk."

Clara was about to stand up, when the alert dog bolted from her, opened the back door in front of their eyes by standing and using his front paws to push down the handle, and sprinted across the lawn. Chloe and Clara scrambled to follow, standing at the now open kitchen door, and watched the dog running faster than any dog should be able to, and appearing a few seconds later with the wrapped gift in its mouth, looking very proud of himself. He presented it to Clara and sat, as if waiting for another mission.

"Did you just see _that_!" said Chloe, "I know dogs can run fast, but that was almost as fast as..."

"me" said Clara, looking at the dog with new eyes.

"I've only ever seen people do things like that when they were meteor infected" said Chloe, watching the dog warily and Clara took the package from him, and they closed the kitchen door. The dog followed them back into the living room and lay in front of the fire, giving a huff of contentment.

Chloe stood up.

Chloe grabbed her bag and pulled out her trusty laptop, she never went anywhere without it.

"You know, I think I remember there was a scandal at Luthor Corp about a year ago involving chemical testing on animals. Let me look into it a bit. Why don't you open your present while I Google."

Clara dutifully took the package that Chloe offered and ripped off the neat wrapping paper. Chloe was all about presentation. Inside were a series of hair grips and then another package underneath. Chloe saw she'd found it and put down her laptop, watching eagerly as Clara tore it open to reveal a folded blue t-shirt.

"Unfold it!" Chloe said impatiently.

Clara acquiesced and revealed a design, a very familiar design. On the shirt in red and yellow, was the symbol of her house, the house of El. The primary colours made it far more striking than her necklace, and Clara had the sudden urge to try it on, she supersped out of the room, changed, and came back in a second, and looked down at herself.

"It's wonderful Chloe"

"I knew you'd like it. I know you probably can't wear it where regular yahoos can see you, but every superhero needs a symbol, Batman certainly has one."

"I'm not a Superhero Chloe" Clara admonished.

"Fine, Hero-in-Training then."

"Guess all you need now is a Mr Miyagi. Where has that Martian gotten to?"

"He's been gone for a while, he's waiting for me to complete my test."

"Those crystals you talked about? Right, I've been looking into those, well, I've been looking into who else has been looking."

Clara looked at her puzzled. Chloe cocked her head and smirked.

"I've been doing some not-so-legal net diving in the Luthor Corp server, and it seems Lex's Daddy has been funding a lot of digs in order to collect "mineral deposits", but the surveys I've been reading keep talking about rock, meteor rock. Apparently they've found green, the normal kind, red and even blue, quite the geological collection. But get this, a dig in Shanghai found silver."

"Silver?"

"Yeah, a silver crystal shard with "unidentifiable" symbols on it. Which was transferred to a Luthor Corp facility in Kansas. All this could be looked over if not for the fact that someone started breaking into Luthor facilities at the same time as the transfer."

Clara blinked at this, and Goldy came and put his head on her lap, she stroked absent mindedly.

"So you think they were looking for the shard?"

"I think so, a Kryptonian shard if the description is right. I'd bet a million dollars it was _your_ shard, one of the crystals you're meant to retrieve."

"Why didn't you say anything before?"

"You've been a little busy, and it's the holidays, you should be allowed to be human, figuratively speaking. Plus, you've got another problem right now, Krypto the Superdog."

"Krypto?"

"Well, it's a name I've been playing around with. Meteorite's are from space, right? Well your planet was Krypton and the fragments fell like meteorites to Earth, so, how about calling them "Kryptonite"? Besides, isn't Krypto a better name than "Goldy?"

The dog in question chose this moment to bark, as if he agreed.

Clara looked between them, there was an uncanny intelligence in the dogs eyes: "I guess he is cryptic too, seeing as we don't know where he came from. But if he was experimented on and escaped wouldn't Luthor Corp have come looking for him? I hate to say it but their experimentation on animals isn't illegal."

Chloe frowned, and picked up her laptop, starting to type.

"That's what I thought, but what if he doesn't belong to Luthor Corp? A lot of people got laid off from their Labs last year, technicians and such."

She pulled up some articles from the Daily Planet about the lay-offs, the photograph showed a line of protestors with placards outside Luthor Corp, and one of them looked familiar, though she couldn't place the face.

"Still, why put meteor ro...sorry, "Kryptonite" into an animal?" asked Clara, stroking the dogs head, horrified that anyone would inject Kryptonite into an innocent animal. She was a farmer, she knew some animals were food, some were for dairy and others for labour. But that was the natural way of things, she knew that some medical research needed animal experimentation to make sure medicines were safe, that had a purpose. But injecting animals with an alien substance just to see what it would do was cruel.

"To see what it would do. You've seen what it does to humans; think about it, if you could find a way to control it, you could create a whole race of meta-humans with abilities. Most medicines get tested on animals first before they get tested on humans. Krypto here is smarter than your average dog, and really fast. Who knows what else he can do?"

They both looked at the newly christened "Krypto" (Clara knew she might not be able to keep him, but she really, really wanted to so was trying to be optimistic) and she heard the front door open and the Kent's walked in.

"Hello Chloe, sweetie, Clara, how has your day been?" asked Martha, putting down her grocery bag.

"Mom, Dad, we have something to tell you..."

...

Lex had to admit, he quite liked having his own furry shadow. They'd watched TV together in his mini-cinema, gone walking around the gardens, played catch with his baseball, and then his lumbering companion has insisted on lying on his feet while he worked at his desk. He made no demands apart from a food and a place to sleep, and showed affection without ulterior motives. Lex found the hairs on his Armani suit were a small price to pay. Needless to say, Lex wasn't actively seeking the dog's owner. If they really wanted him, two days after he'd run off, they'd be looking harder. But there were no phone calls, no flyers, and no door to door callers. He'd considered calling the Kent's about his stray, but he felt reluctant to hand him over to anyone. His father would have frowned on such attachment, such weakness. But he found he was caring less and less.

Lex's phone vibrated and he looked to see a text from Clara.

_From: Clara_

_Hey,_

_Hope you had a nice Christmas. The dog is doing well. No sign of an owner yet, Mom & Dad say we may keep him if no one comes forward. How are you?_

Lex's lip quirked, Clara was the only one who ever genuinely asked how he was.

_To: Clara_

_Hey, Christmas was good, I had an unexpected guest. A Rottweiler broke into my house. He's friendly enough, he may come from the same place as our Retriever._

After a few moments, a new text arrived.

_From: Clara_

_Bring him around, let's see if they know each other. There are some...interesting things about the Retriever, you'll have to see for yourself._

Lex quirked an eyebrow, what could be so interesting? He glanced at his watch.

_From: Lex_

_I'll come over later today, say around 3?_

A moment later, a reply.

_From: Clara_

"_Great! Chloe's here too, she has some questions for you. Also, I've made Apple Pie." _

Well that was as good a reason as any to go there. Lex looked to the hulking mass of fur at his feet, and stood, the dog scrambled to stand up and follow him to the door.

...

"They've been gone two days! No sigh anywhere, if someone finds them and figures out what we've done, we'll go to jail!"

Josh Greenfield was hurriedly throwing his clothes into a battered suitcase, frantically and clumsily collecting items from around the room. Zack Greenfield was sitting on one of the beds unmade beds, looking intently at a small black case in his hands, he opened it to reveal a syringe full of a luminescent green solution. His older brother continued his fast tirade.

"We'll dump the formula and run, skip town. We have enough to get somewhere small, maybe not what we talked about, but we can settle down, we have enough for you to get your GED or something."

Zack scoffed "You're the academic bro. You finished high school and went to that freakin' community college. I'm the one who quit early and got a job at that freaking Grocery store to keep us alive. I think it's time I got my due."

Josh turned around to see his brother holding the syringe up to the light. He froze.

"Wh...what are you doing?"

"We don't have any more dogs, or time to train them. But if this stuff can make a mutt a super strong genius, what'll it do to a human being?"

Josh held up his hands in a conciliatory gesture.

"Zack, don't talk crazy, that stuff could kill you."

"The mutts survived. Why should I give power to those stupid dogs, when I could take it for myself? We'd be unstoppable Joshy, we could take whatever we wanted, go wherever. Who'd be able to stop me?"

"Don't do it Zack, please!"

Josh rushed forward, but Zack was faster, shoving his older brother aside and plunging the needle into his veins. Green veins appeared on his arm, and it felt like he was on fire, he began to shake as Josh grabbed him, and they collapsed to the floor. The fit lasted for 3 minutes as his brother screamed his name and cried and then finally it was over. Zack opened his eyes, and Josh saw their brown was tinged with a green glow. He rose.

"Are...are you okay?!" Josh stayed on the floor, too shaky to stand.

"I feel, good. Strong."

Zack looked around the room, and chose a likely spot, and then punched the wall, his fist reached the other empty room, creating a hole. Josh sat open mouthed. Zack removed his hand and examined it, moving his fingers experimentally, there wasn't a scratch.

"Now big bro, now we can get what we want. First, I'm going to do you a favour."

Zack looked out the window and by serendipity happened to Lex Luthor passing in his SUV, accompanied in the passenger seat by Hercules. Seemed everything was coming up roses for him.

"Looks like your doggies gone traitor. I think I'll take out two birds with one stone. Let's show the Luthor's we're not going to get pushed around anymore."

Zack grabbed his brother by the shirt and dragged him outside, opening their car and getting set up to follow Luthor.

Everyone would get their just desserts.

**Author's Note: Hope you like it, for some reason this episode is dragging out, but I do love doggy's! Please read & review **


	36. Chapter 36

**Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville, Superman or DC**

**Author's Note: Hello all! I'm sorry for the long hiatus, slight writers block and a lot of work commitments. So thank you all for your continued support and here's the next chapter! Please read and review. **

**Chapter 36: Krypto Part 4**

Clara's ears rang, her head felt as if it was spinning, when she opened her eyes the world moved in a mazy motion. She closed them again, feeling nauseas.

"Clara!"

Someone was calling her name, was it time to wake up?

She tried to move her limbs, but they had a delayed response, as if a connection was loose.

"Clara-Lily, are you alright?" a warm hand touched her face, the voice was closer, but still muffled.

"Honey, open your eyes, can you move?"

"I'm calling an ambulance" said a worried voice, a man.

"Don't, you know we can't do that! Just give her a minute she's had a shock."

The ringing grew dimmer and the world rushed back. Dogs were barking and growling, and a man was yelling.

Dogs...Krypto! Someone was trying to hurt Krypto!

Clara's eyes snapped open to see the hand belonged to her mother, and her Dad was also hovering over her with a deep concerned frown on his forehead. Chloe was standing next to Lex a little way off, a hand firmly gripping his wrist, the connecting limp hand with a Blackberry in it.

Clara tried to rearrange the course of events. Lex had come around to visit, no, she'd _invited _him to see Krypto. Why? Chloe had found out about Luthor Corp animal experimentation and had wanted to ask Lex what he knew about it. Then Lex had arrived and brought another dog, a Rottweiler. Yes, he'd snuck into Lex's house. Krypto and he seemed to know each other, it was all wagging tails and smelling each other's rear ends when they met again. So they'd theorised they escaped from the same place. They'd stayed in the yard, explaining about Krypto's abilities, when another car had pulled up. There were two guys inside, the passenger stayed seated while the driver got out. Clara has recognised him vaguely, she'd seen him around town, maybe at the grocery store once or twice. The dogs had started barking and growling, Krypto had stood in front of them, blocking his way. The man had started shouting at Lex about someone losing their job and the Rottweiler had jumped to his defence and bitten the newcomer. The man had hit the dog halfway across the yard, and then Clara had sprung to action before Krypto got hurt. She'd run at human speed to tackle him, but he had moved too fast and hit her in the head, and then everything went black.

Clara returned to the present and looked up at the sky, the clouds parted and the cool beams of the winter sun kissed her skin. She started to feel better, warm from the inside and out, and then in a few moments she was ready to get up, as if she'd been recharged.

"I'm fine" she said, standing up and assessing the situation.

"See?" said Chloe who let go of Lex's hand. He watched as the red patch on Clara's cheek which would surely have become a large bruise faded completely in the light of day. The passenger of the car then distracted them by getting out and running towards them.

"Is she alright?! I'm so sorry, we didn't want any of this to happen!"

Lex shook himself and directed his bewilderment and anger towards something else, he grabbed the man by the shirt.

"Who are you?!"

"I'm Josh Greenfield" the man stuttered "I'm sorry...so sorry about all of this! I just...I got fired by your fa..father last year, I was a lab tech. My brother Zack said we should get payback, and lately I've been working as a vet tech at the animal shelter. I'd told Zack about the me...meteor rock giving the test animals abilities at the Luthor labs. We tried it on the stray dogs Einstein and Hercules and it made them smart, smart _and_ strong! We ripped off a load of houses and banks across the state, we almost had enough for a comfortable life. But then the dogs escaped and Zack took the meteor rock himself! He saw you with Hercules and thought hurting you would be the best way to get back at your Dad! But please, he's not in his right mind, the rocks have made him crazy, don't hurt him!"

So that explained it, "Zack" had meteor rock in his veins, Lex looked at Clara with understanding. He remembered the incident in Halloween, how sick she'd gotten by just being near them. But them, why hadn't the dog's made her ill?

"How long ago did he take it?" he shook Josh.

"Only about 15 minutes, the ape subjects used to sweat some of it out first, and then the body would absorb the rest. But that was a small dose, Zack took a whole syringe, it could be poisoning him, he needs help! Please, we need to get him under control and to a hospital!"

So he had meteor rock in his sweat, dogs don't sweat.

"How long will the abilities last?! The dogs still have them" Jonathan Kent questioned coming to stand next to Lex and removing Josh from his hold.

"Einstein and Hercules have been exposed for long periods of time, it fundamentally mutates their DNA. But Zack hasn't been acclimatised, it's poison to him!"

"Is there any way to stop him? Get it out of his system?"

"The ape subjects used to sweat it out, but the rate his metabolism is moving and the amount of the rock he's taken, it'd take a massive amount of heat or movement to get it all out of his system! He doesn't have the time!"

Zack, "Einstein" and "Hercules" were still fighting, the dogs working together to keep him distracting, goading him into attacking, but they were losing energy, they hadn't had any meteor rock in days and from what Jason was saying, while they'd always be fast and above average intelligence, their super edge would soon fade with exertion.

"Mom, take Josh and everyone into the house, I'll handle it."

"Sweetheart he hurt you!"

"That's only because I let him get close enough. Go, while he's distracted, please!"

"Be careful!"

Martha and Jonathan grabbed the recalcitrant young man and took him into the house, Chloe motioned for Lex to follow but he waited, looking Clara in the eyes, her hair dishevelled, and her plaid button shirt ripped open by her fall to reveal a blue t-shirt with a curious red and yellow symbol on it.

"This is one of those things we talked about isn't it."

"Yes"

Clara looked into his blue eyes, willing him to understand why he couldn't watch this. Willing him to remember their promise to each other on that Halloween night. Lex hesitated and then answered:

"Go get him Clara."

He purposefully turned his back on her, and Clara's lips quirked into a relieved smile. Lex heard a whoosh and boom like a sonic jet and no longer felt Clara's presence behind him.

He smiled to himself and walked into the house. She really was a Super Woman, even if he couldn't know how or why yet.

Clara ran at full speed towards Zack using her arm to knock him to the ground, but careful not to ouch his Kryptonite poisoned skin. She could see it now, a faint green luminescent glow, like a fine mist on his body, with pulsating veins beneath. She face him as he stood up, the dogs behind her and growling.

"You're sick Zack, the meteor rock is poisoning you. You won't survive if you don't get it out of you. Let me help."

"You're wrong, I've never felt better! I'm powerful. Get out of my way, I thought I already taught you your lesson. You should have stayed down!"

He made to punch her like he had before, expecting the same result. Clara ran and appeared behind him, and he stumbled as his punch connected with thin air. He grunted angrily like a bull and Clara had an idea.

"You should give up Zack before you get hurt!"

"We'll see who gets hurt!"

He charged her in a fit of rage and suddenly she was gone again, and behind him. They repeated this dance several times, each time Zack became angrier, moved more, and exerted more of his power. Then Clara deliberately began to run and he took the bait, following the blur of her red shirt. She ducked and weaved and twisted to stay just out of reach of his meteor enhanced speed.

After a while, Clara could see it working, he slowed down, so did she to match and then peering back Clara saw the green, listening sweat pouring from his blood flushed brow. Finally after 15 minutes of this game of keep-away, Zack's steps faltered, he froze, and Clara saw the mist of green evaporate away. His head went back, he held his arms in front of him, watching the power flow away, and he collapsed onto his knees and then onto his side unconscious. Krypto and Hercules came to stand next to him, watching him warily.

"Stay Krypto" said Clara, stroking his head and racing to the house.

Clara alerted everyone to the change of events and her parents went outside to check on Zack. Clara couldn't check his pulse without getting Kryptonite infected sweat on her.

Lex smiled at her and she smiled back.

"I suppose I can call the police now?" he said, holding his Blackberry out.

"Yeah" answered Chloe for Clara, "but best leave out some things."

It took 15 minutes for Sheriff Ethan to arrive in the car along with the ambulance for Zack. What followed was an afternoon of questions and carefully edited answers. Leaving out Clara's involvement in bringing down Zack, the police received the whole story of Josh and Zack's meteor rock experiments on the dogs, their robberies, and Zack's meteor rock abuse and attention to harm Lex. After all was said and done, there were only two loose ends.

"Well Jonathan I think that wraps it up. Thanks for your and your families cooperation. The state police have been looking for those two for almost a year, this'll solve a lot of open burglary cases. As for the dogsm they were from the pound, so they'll be going back there."

Clara looked at her Dad with pleading eyes and he breathed out, placing an arm around her shoulders.

"Actually Ethan, Clara's gotten pretty attached to the Retriever. If you don't object, we'll keep him, it's good to have a dog around a farm."

Ethan looked pleased with this turn of events.

"That's fine with me Jonathan. I'm sure the pound will be happy to get one more off their hands. Guess it's just this mean looking fellow going back to the pound."

Lex stepped in there, he looked a little affronted that Ethan had called Hercules mean.

"Actually, I'll be taking this lovely fellow here with me. He'll have the run of the mansion and it'd be good to know he's there to guard the place when I'm away."

Lex's words weren't a request, but a statement. Luthor's didn't make requests. Clara and Lex looked at each other, and she knew that Lex didn't just want a guard dog. He'd gotten attached to him. But Lex wouldn't admit that to a stranger.

"Well I'm sure that can be arranged Mr Luthor. Rottweiler's are known to be good guard dogs, they have a mean bite to them."

Clara looked at Hercules, who was sitting in the lobby of the Police Station with Krypto, and he tilted his head. She just knew he was a big softy.

They left the police station and Chloe bade them goodbye, she was going to write all of it up for The Torch. The rest of them went straight to the pound, where they began to sign the adoption paperwork.

"So, what are you going to name him?" asked Martha, as they got ready to inscribe the dog tag and fill in the paperwork.

Clara looked up from where she was fussing over the retriever and said firmly:

"I'm naming him Krypto."

The vet technician looked at her oddly.

"Why?"

Clara quickly covered.

"Because his origins were Cryptic."

They inscribed the dog tag, and Clara proudly put the blue collar onto the yellow dog's neck.

"There you go, Krypto the Super Dog" she whispered in his ear, and when she pulled away he barked happily. She attached his leash and led the dog into the lobby.

Lex appeared from another office, the Rottweiler walking obediently on the leash, a shiny new leather collar around his neck. It looked expensive.

Clara handed Krypto's leash to her Mom and crouched down to pet the dog."

"So what are you naming him?"

"The Greenfields named him Hercules, but I never really liked that myth. Heracles was a bumbling oath who was tricked into killing his family. This dog is a smart, fast and a hero, so I'm going to name him after mine, his name is Swift."

Clara smiled; Stephen Swift was the alias of Warrior Angel, their favourite comic book character.

"Well hello Swift, aren't you handsome? Yes you are!" she gushed, stroking the dog who began licking her face. Lex looked at her fondly.

The vet had said the affects of the meteor rock would fade with time, but that the dogs would always be above average in speed and intelligence. Any drug could have long term side effects, as long as it didn't affect their health, it was fine. But Clara got the impression that they'd always be far more than average.

Krypto and Swift the Super Dogs, it fit well.

Clara stood up and they all made their way to the exit of the pound, with their new members of their respective families.

It had certainly been an interesting and now very Merry Christmas.

**Author's Note: Thank you all for reading, please review! **


	37. Chapter 37

**Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville, Superman, or DC**

**Author's Note: Thanks for all your lovely reviews! What I know of winter formals and Sadie Hawkins are from Wikipedia, as we didn't have anything similar over here in Britain. At least where I went to school! Here's the next instalment. **

**Chapter 37**

_**Smallville High Winter Formal**_

_**Ladies Choice**_

_**TWIRP**_

_**28th January 2006**_

Lucas looked at the flyer he had been handed by Ellen Singer and asked.

"What's TWIRP stand for?"

But Ellen had already moved onto her next victim, so Chloe, who was in the doorway of The Torch office answered:

"It's an acronym; it means The Woman Is Required To Pay. Seeing as we don't have a Sadie Hawkins dance the Events Committee has decided this year's Winter Formal will be Ladies choice. I'd watch out if I were you, I can already see the wolves circling."

Lucas looked down the hall to see groups of teenage girls with flyers looking up at him then whispering conspiratorially. If that wasn't enough, then there was giggling.

"I think I'm somewhere _not here _that weekend."

Clara came out of _The Torch_ office with another load of photocopied posters and flyers, handing them to a waiting Events Committee member.

"Here you are Stacy."

"Thanks Clara! The copier in the Student Lounge broke down and the Staff wouldn't let us use theirs for "non-class related propaganda". They're real kill joys. Hope to see you at the dance!"

Stacy, a perky blond girl with an inclination towards wearing varying shades of Pink, smiled chipperly at Clara before bouncing down the hall passing out flyers like an overgrown cupid.

It was the second week back from the Christmas break and after a week of having the life frightened out of them by their teachers about the approaching SATs, the Events Committee was doing its part to distract them all by having them agonise over who to ask to the Winter Formal instead.

Lucas moved the heat of the conversation away from him by asking:

"Who are you asking Clara?"

Clara smiled and nervously brushed her wavy hair behind her ear.

"Dances and I get along a lot better if I'm working. I'll be taking pictures for _The Torch_ and the Year Book Committee."

"So there's no one in school you'd want to ask at all?"

A vision of Lex in a tux entered Clara's mind, she forced the thought out of her head. He was one of her best friends, and definitely way too sophisticated to go to a high school dance in a gym decorated with crepe paper and balloons. But she couldn't hide a blush appearing on her cheeks.

"No, no one here."

Chloe looked at her knowingly.

"What about you Chloe, anyone you'd ask?"

"Sorry to insult your kind Lucas, but teenage boys can be a little immature. I prefer a man with a little more...experience of life."

Clara remembered what Chloe had said about her brief tryst with an intern at the Daily Planet, at least if 21 could be called "experienced". Jimmy Olson, she thought his name was.

"No offense taken, I know what you mean. I like to think I'm not like most guys my age."

Clara made a point of not looking at Lucas at that comment. It was a little awkward to know someone's deepest darkest secret. In just a few months, Lucas would be going to Paris, and Coach Teague would be going with him. As long as no one official found out about their feelings in the mean time, then it was plain sailing for their future relationship. Clara hated to say it, but people could be quite homophobic, usually out of ignorance.

"You'd better start spreading the rumour you're out of town then Lucas. Otherwise there is going to be a line of girls waiting to ask you to the dance" said Chloe, grinning.

Lucas looked around again, to see that the groups of girls were had stopped giggling, and were now looking at him with determined faces.

"Er...I think you're right Chloe. I'll see you ladies later; I need to make a quick exit. I'll tell my Aunt Nell to start getting ready for corsage orders."

Lucas bade them goodbye and then started jogging down the hall. The bell rang for 4th period and the disappointed brood of girls slumped to their classes.

Ahhhh the pain of unrequited love.

...

The next two weeks flew by with a flurry of homework, classes, dog walking, baking and farm chores and then suddenly, Clara realised that January was coming to an end. She'd met up with Lex to walk their dogs together a couple of times, they'd played catch with them, Clara surreptitiously using her strength to keep up with the speedy canines, and while they'd chatted, the subject of the dance came up.

"So did _you _have a Winter Formal?"

"We had a similar event with a neighbouring girl's boarding school, St Bernadette's. It was pretty much the female equivalent of Excelsior."

"So did you ask anyone?"

"It was more of a networking event. The schools rented a hotel and then we were all put into a room together. We'd never met each other before. Making contacts with other heirs and the children of powerful people is important for future business matters. You get thrown in the deep end so to speak."

Clara stopped walking and leant against the boundary fence of the field, looking up at Lex.

"That doesn't sound very fun."

Lex followed Clara's lead and leant on the fence next to her, checking where the dogs were from the corner of his eye.

"It was more an exercise for future business events. Of course it did lead to other..._connecting_ on a more personal level."

Clara understood what he meant. Lex had always been quite frank about his personal conquests. He'd decided it was better for him to tell her, than for her to find out from someone else. They'd walked on and then the subject of Clara's dance photography came up.

"So, you're going stag? Have you at least bought a dress?"

"I'm just going to be taking pictures, is there really a need?"

"Why not get into the spirit of things? You're only 18 once Clara" Lex threw the ball again and Krypto and Swift scrambled after it.

"I'm sure if Excelsior hadn't been a penitentiary for criminally rich little snots I'd have given it a try."

"Really? You'd have rented a tux and gotten a girl a corsage?"

"More likely I'd have worn an Armani and bought the girl diamonds, but you get the idea."

"I think I'll just wear something I already have. I'm behind the camera, no one's going to be looking at me."

Lex reached out and tucked a piece of her waving hair behind her ear, chucking her under the chin lightly.

"Then those boys must be blind."

Clara had blushed at that, and luckily Swift nearly bowled her over in his enthusiasm to return the ball.

...

The next day, at 1 am in the morning, in the middle of a dark field, Sheriff Ethan motioned for his deputies to surround a shack. The lights were on, and steam was emanating from the ramshackle chimney. It smelt like a bar. They took up their point positions and he made hand signals. Then he shouted:

"Kansas County Sheriff's Office! Come out with your hands up!"

There was no response, and he gave the order to kick the door down. The inhabitants tried to run, but were collared by deputies.

"Joseph and Jack Daniels, you are under arrest for the selling of liquor without a license or tax, for the theft of farm produce and the use of contaminated goods with the intent to sell for consumption. You have the right to remain silent..."

Around them were all the signs of an illegal distilling operation. Ethan moved to some boxes that contained fruits that were tinged with an odd red essence. He read the stickers.

"Yep, this is the produce contaminated by those funny red meteor rocks by the creek. Mr Jefferson said it was stolen from his barn before he could get environmental health to come dispose of it. Looks like you boys are in a heap of trouble."

"We didn't steal nothing! It was left on the side of the road. We don't know anything about no contamination!"

"Tell it to the judge son. You'd better give us the names of everyone you've sold your bootlegged alcohol to. If anyone gets sick or god forbid, dies, you could have manslaughter charges on you!"

They dragged the men to the cars, and Ethan hoped their operation hadn't spread too far, who knows what that alcohol could do to somebody.

...

The school halls were silent and dark as two figures slunk in clumsily through an unlatched window, knocking over a pot that rang obnoxiously through the cavernous kitchen. Sam and Bobby cringed and the former held up a hand, but when there was no sign of any other human life, they finished climbing in and switched on the work top lights. Sam slapped Bobby on the arm in admonishment for kicking over the pot and they began arguing in whispers.

"This is totally cliché. If we get found out we're going to be in deep again. We were nearly expelled for that stunt at Halloween."

"Stop being such a girl Sam. It's not a high school dance if someone doesn't spike the punch! Anyway, come on, how were we to know those meteor rocks could cause mutations? If anything, it's the governments fault for not cleaning them up! We were practically doing a public service by bringing a health hazard to their attention!"

"I don't think spiking the punch is going to do us any favours"

"Come on! Everyone's scared stiff about the SAT's and most of them are too damn straight laced to loosen up. But this" Bobby held up a hip flask "is some sweet stuff the Daniel's brothers hooked me up with. It was distilled right here in Smallville. I mean, we're supporting a local business! You know how the Events Committee were harping on that all the dance food and drink were local produce."

"It's illegal alcohol."

"It hasn't done me any harm. The Daniel's don't care much for age limits, only cash. I'm giving away good money to see some of my classmates loosen up!"

Bobby walked over to a large industrial refrigerator and opened it to reveal several glass jugs of purple liquid. He pulled them out and sniffed them.

"Yup, Blackberry Punch, not very inspired, but it'll cover up the liquor nicely" he opened the top of his flask and poured a decent shot into each jug, swirled them, and put them back in the fridge while Sam stood on watch. A light suddenly turned on in the corridor, flooding through the window of the door. Sam hissed at Bobby:

"Someone must have seen the light, the janitor is coming!"

Bobby slammed the fridge and ran to the window and they slipped out, unaware of the red light emanating from the fridge, or that the liquid within had shifted from purple to bright crimson.

...

**Authors Note: Hope you liked it! I'm not a police officer so most of those charges are probably bogus, I tried to make them sound official though! Please read and review! **


	38. Chapter 38

**Disclaimer: I don't own Superman, Smallville or DC**

**Author's Note: I'm really sorry for the long hiatus, I've been really busy at work (I got Employee of the Year for my trouble ****) and I've had a little writer's block with my fictions. But here it is and Seasons Greetings to you all! (P.S. Who else is excited for the new Superman film? It looks epic! Also, if you get the chance, watch the tv series "Arrow" it's a great reimagining of the Green Arrow!)**

**Chapter 38**

Clara entered the gym to see the Events committee had worked their crepe paper and balloon magic. Due to the season, the space was decorated with white and baby blue streamers and paper snowflakes dangled from the ceiling. She thought they'd done a fantastic job with their budget (which has been mostly taken up by the DJ and food). The doors were open and students had already begun to trickle in, although it was early yet. Clara looked over to the stage to see Chloe was helping with the music system; she always had a knack for electronics. Clara noticed Chloe was also looking very nice in an emerald green dress with a flared skirt and matching cardigan. Clara looked down at her own ensemble, a powder blue dress from her junior prom, and felt like she was camouflaging with the decor. But she wasn't here to be looked at, she was the observer.

Clara clicked off the lens-cover of her camera and began adjusted her settings for the lighting. She took a few candid shots of the students entering the "ballroom" and wandered around trying to decide what the best angles for pictures were. Finally, the DJ began to play, thanks to Chloe's technical help, and students began to mill between the refreshment table and the dance floor. Clara said hello to Principal Kwan as she passed the teacher's table and several of the other teachers who were chaperoning, including Jason, who was looking very chic in a suit and tie. It was odd to see him out of his usual sports attire. It was like he was glued into his football jersey. Clara did a quick scan of the room and saw Lucas had stayed true to his word, he wasn't here. It was probably for the best, it wouldn't have been nice for Jason to see his boyfriend being pawed over.

After an hour or so of candid shots, Clara wandered over to where the couple's photo shoot was taking place. While she was taking candid photographs for the Torch and the year book, the committee had hired a professional photographer for the photo shoots. The photographer was old Mr Grayson from the Smallville Gazette, and he had a very strict view on digital cameras, that they didn't exist. Clara was pretty convinced that Mr Grayson's camera was older than she was, but the pictures always came out nice every year, so if it worked, more power to him.

"Will you be able to touch me up after this?" asked Britney Lawson, to hear the completely clueless reply:

"Miss Lawson! That is an outrageous question! Just wait until I see your grandmother at bridge club!"

Apparently photo alteration software also didn't exist.

Clara gave a sympathetic smile to Craig, Britney's long suffering date, and made her way to the refreshment table. There was a nice spread, Clara recognised the apple pies as her own creation, but there was also finger food such as triangle sandwiches, chips and dip, an array of juice and pop and the traditional bowl of punch. This year it was an uncharacteristic red, but Clara found she quite liked the colour, maybe it was Strawberry? Susan Green, a short blond girl with a smattering of freckles on her nose, stood behind the stand in a bright pink dress, pouring the punch with a ladle into plastic cups. Students mulled around sipping and chatting amiably before heading to dance. Clara suddenly felt very thirsty.

"Hey Susan, may I have one of those please? What flavour is it?"

"Hey Clara! Well it was _meant_ to be blackberry, but I guess Mrs Jonas got our order wrong. Everyone's saying it tastes more like a mix between Raspberry and Cool-aid. But she is getting a little old."

Clara took the offered plastic cup and found the surface strangely warm. The punch had probably been out of the fridge for too long. She made to take a sip but was interrupted by Chloe.

"Clara! I finally escaped from the DJ! You'd think seeing as he's being paid to do this he'd know how to fix his own equipment!"

"I'm sure he appreciates your help Chloe. Want some punch?"

"Is it any good?"

"I haven't tasted mine yet."

"Give me your verdict and then we'll see."

Clara looked down at the red liquid, and then brought the cup to her pink lips and sipped, it burned as it slipped down her throat and into her veins, searing them, sparking synapses in her brain until they combusted and her body seemed to radiate warmth and life. She felt...good, no great! After a pause, Clara sipped again, the feeling increased and she found she liked the burn.

"It's...tingly!"

Chloe looked at Clara, questioning her odd comment and could have sworn she saw a red glow flash in her friend's eyes. Clara's cheeks had also gone pink, and in suspicion Chloe took a glass of the punch and sniffed it. The smell of alcohol filled her nose.

"Did someone spike the punch?!" she exclaimed, looking at Susan Green.

Susan went pale "What?!" she said, bringing a cup up to her nose and sniffing, before tasting it herself.

"Oh _great_! That'll look great on my record! But I've been watching it the whole time since we got here, no one's had _time_ to spike it!"

"Could there have been a mistake with the order? -"

Clara tuned out of what Chloe was saying, the voices of everyone in the room, which she usually screened out, where now in full focus to her, and the disco lights were dancing in front of her like stars.

"_...are you sure this dress doesn't make me look fat?"_

"_Have you seen Whitney's outfit? Talk about last season. She's really let herself go lately..."_

"_...do you think Coach Jason would dance with me if I asked? He's so hot."_

Clara looked over to where Jason was talking with Mrs Beaterman, the shop teacher, and snorted, like that'd ever happen. Clara looked down at the camera she was wearing, and was suddenly tired of its burden. Why should she have to take all the pictures and have none of the fun?

Clara tried to take the camera strap off, but for some reason her limbs weren't in her full control and instead the strap ripped in half and the camera was hanging limply in her hand. Oops. Chloe saw something was up and covered.

"Wow Clara, you should probably apply for a different camera from the school, I knew that strap wasn't strong enough. Here, let's go see if we can fix it."

Chloe grabbed Clara's hand and the camera and drew her away from a confused Susan, who waved frantically at Ellen to summon her to spill the bad news. Chloe's suspicions were confirmed when Clara's feet tripped over themselves a little as she walked, and she stumbled knocking over a cardboard stand up of a snowman in the process, which took down several crepe paper streamers. Jason turned to the commotion and frowned, excusing himself from his talk with Mrs Beatermen to follow.

"Look at Kent, she's totally wasted, what a lightweight" guffawed Bobby Singer as he saw Chloe Sullivan pulling her out of the gym. He took another swig from his hipflask, surreptitiously looking for Principal Kwan, who was over talking to Mr Tooley the Geography teacher. The coast clear, he began to walk over to talk to a very tipsy looking Angela Carter. But his wooing intentions were ruined when Ellen, his step-sister, appeared in front of him. She has a face like thunder which clashed with her pink taffeta dress, and snatched his flask, opening it and sniffing, before scrunching up her nose.

"What the hell are you doing with this? If you get caught again you're going to get expelled! Susan says the punch was spiked, I know it was _you!_ Are you trying to ruin this for me? Just like everything else?!"

"Chill out Ellie, I'm just making it a better party. Don't get your panties in a bunch. You don't want everyone thinking your freakin' ball was lame do you?"

Ellen pushed Bobby and grabbed his arm, dragging him to the corner where they wouldn't be overheard.

"Where did you get it? From that loser John Daniels? You know Jill Daniels didn't come tonight because her brother's were arrested last night? That alcohol they were making was contaminated with something, you could have just poisoned everyone here!"

Bobby went pale, looking round at the other teenagers, who were beginning to show the signs of alcohol use, becoming louder, more active, and looser with their boundaries.

"They look fine to me."

"Well Clara didn't! She looked sick! Sheriff Ethan is friends with her Dad, if anything happens to her they're going to throw the book at you!"

"It's not like they'll find out, I know you won't snitch."

Sam, who had followed them, turned pale and knew what he had to do. No one was meant to get hurt. He headed over to Principal Kwan, he needed to tell the truth.

Meanwhile, Chloe was trying to reason with Clara in _The Torch_ office.

"I'm going to call your parents, something was up with that punch. I think you're drunk."

Clara fake coughed and Chloe's phone flew out of her hand and smashed to the ground and papers flew everywhere in the office.

"Oops" she said, insincerely, giggling behind her hand.

"That's exactly why I need to call your parents; the Clara I know would never do that! You're going to expose yourself!"

"I feel _fiiiine_. You know alcohol can't affect me. I barely took a sip anyway."

"I think there was something other than alcohol in that punch."

They were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"You girls alright?" asked Jason, who walked in with a concerned frown on his face.

"Someone spiked the punch and Clara's just a little tipsy, it's nothing I can't handle Coach" said Chloe, she needed Jason to leave, what if Clara started showing off again?

"What are you on about? I'm fine, I'm _great!_" said Clara, trying to lean nonchalantly on her desk which lurched under her weight causing her to stumble.

"Yeah" said Jason, unconvinced, "you're peachy. Walk in a straight line for me."

"What?!" said Clara.

"If you can walk in a straight line for me, I won't call your parents."

"Why?!"

"Because I have a duty of care Clara and if you're drunk then I need to call someone to get you."

"Yeah, _care_, you sure take _care_ of Lucas don't you _Coach._"

Jason paled and frowned.

"What are you implying Clara?"

Chloe saw where this was going and stepped in.

"Don't worry about Clara Coach, she doesn't really know what she's saying. Why don't you leave me to sober her up, then I'll drive her to my house, she's meant to sleepover tonight."

Jason steadfastly ignored Clara and looked at Chloe.

"You're sure you're alright?"

"I'm great, she just needs some water. You best check on everyone else, they had a lot more than Clara."

Jason hesitated and then nodded, leaving the room.

"Why did you say that to him?!" said Chloe, she said, closing the office door and whirling around, her face scrunched in anger.

"I overheard them, Jason and Lucas, at the end of the year they're moving to France together, they're a couple."

Chloe froze.

"Really?"

Then she recovered.

"Still, it was none of your business and Jason was only trying to help you! There must have been something really bad in that punch, we need to call you parents! What if there was something Kryptonians are allergic to in it?"

"Ugh" said Clara and crossed her arms petulantly "I'm tired of this, I'm _fine_. If you were really my friend you wouldn't be on my case."

"It's _because_ I'm your friend I'm on your case! I think you're seriously ill Clara, we need to get your parents, find out what's wrong with you!"

But Clara didn't feel like listening anymore, she wanted to run, not at the restricted rate she usually had to, she wanted to move freely, she was so restless, so constricted by a world made of glass. She wanted to do something fun, reckless, she wanted to _live!_ She felt so..._frustrated_, the same frustration she felt when she used her heat vision. Her thoughts turned to the same person they always did when she felt like this and she knew where she wanted to go.

Then the next thing Chloe knew there was a blur of blue and a rush of air, and Clara was gone.

...

**Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed it, Merry Christmas Everyone and Please Read & Review!**


	39. Chapter 39

**Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville, DC or Superman**

**Author's Note: Thank you for all your lovely reviews, here's the next chapter! Please read and review!**

**Chapter 39**

Lex flipped through the e-mails on his blackberry while swivelling his plush desk chair slightly from side to side. Swift was slobbering happily on a bone by the fireplace, one of his favourite spots, but made sure to look up to check on Lex every couple of minutes. The dog had taken to following him around like Mary's little lamb when they were in the house, Lex didn't mind, he liked the company. Lex had never bonded with a pet before, his father had only allowed horses and they couldn't curl up with you on the couch. The only person Swift liked as much as him was Clara, whom Lex suspected he associated with walks and cuddles. Lex scrolled past an e-mail from his PA informing him of next week's schedule, when Swift suddenly froze, sniffed the air, and then barked excitedly before scrabbling on the wooden floor into the corridor. Lex watched him with interest, Swift must have heard something, and it was a positive something. Lex lay his phone down on the desk and rose, walking across the room and noting that Swift had taken his bone with him. The corridor was empty and there was no sign of his canine companion. Maybe he'd heard an animal outside? Shrugging, he went back inside the living room, only to be startled as the oak double doors slammed behind him, accompanied by a strangely familiar whooshing sound.

Lex turned and looked behind him, trying the doors and finding them locked. He was on alert now, something was wrong and his gun was in the draw of his desk. Being raised a Luthor taught him if something felt wrong, it was probably an assassination attempt. Lex turned, ready to make a dash across the office for his weapon and was completely stunned by what he saw. There, sitting cross legged on his desk, in a powder blue dress and bare feet, was Clara. But it didn't seem like the Clara he knew, the natural, sometimes shy and relaxed girl. This Clara had the aura of a predator about her, her hair was windswept, as if she'd been in a convertible with the top down, dust covered her pale feet, and her cheeks and lips were flushed with colour. Her position on the desk looked posed, nothing like her usual natural stance. Something was up.

"Clara...this is a surprise, how did you get in?"

Clara's lip twitched and Lex found himself fixated on the whiteness of her teeth in contrast to the rosy hue of her lips.

"I kind of squeezed through the bars" she said smoothly, her voice so unlike Clara's usual cheerful and excited tone.

"In that dress?" Lex asked in disbelief, the dress in question had full skirt which touched Clara's knees and reminded him of photographs he'd seen of the 1950's. He couldn't imagine it getting through his fence unscathed, but it looked pristine as ever, it had not suffered the dirt blemishes that peppered her legs and feet.

"What? -" said Clara, pouting uncharacteristically, standing up and wobbling slightly as she gained her balance.

"Don't you like it?" she asked coyly, cocking her head to the side and spreading the skirt out. Something was definitely wrong, Clara didn't act like this.

"Yes" said Lex. He had to admit she looked beautiful, like some kind of vintage Hollywood Starlet, even with the bare feet. Lex had a sudden vision of Clara in a Grecian white dress, standing barefoot on a hilltop in the height of summer, flowers in her flowing hair. He could imagine her getting married like that...wait...where had that come from? He needed to focus, something wasn't right. Back to the basics of Luthor life, interrogation of the target.

"Why the visit, I thought you had your Winter Formal today?"

"Oh I _did_, but it's no fun going stag" she said, walking forward slowly and carefully, as if she was afraid of stumbling and coming to stand less than a foot away from him.

"_So_ I thought I'd come and spend some time with _you_."

Clara brushed some lint off his purple silk shirt and her thumb caressed the skin underneath before she let it drop, grazing his arm, she smiled disarmingly at him. Lex gulped, was Clara..._flirting_ with him?

"What about Chloe? I thought you were meant to sleepover at her house?"

"Oh, I think she can take care of herself" she practically whispered, her warm breath ghosting his face as she stepped a little closer, her warm blue eyes seemed to glow as they looked into his. She slid her arms around his waist and Lex froze at the contact. Her cheeks were so flushed this up close, warmth radiated from Clara's arms through the thin silk of Lex's shirt, it was as if they crackled with energy, it radiated from her like the sun.

Lex took a step back, disengaging himself from her arms gently and trying to create space between them. He patted her on the arm as if it had been a simple hug and walked around her to his desk when his phone was now buzzing frantically. Before he could reach it the buzzing stopped and he saw the screen had 1 missed call from Chloe Sullivan. Maybe she knew what was going on? Lex picked up his phone and turned back to Clara, who had dogged his steps.

"Who was it?"

"Nobody, so...didn't any of those idiots want to dance with you?"

Clara took a step closer again and then she was in front of him, once again invading his personal bubble, and Lex was struggling diligently not to like it.

"No, we all grew up together, they still think of me as a little girl. They don't see me as I am now, a _woman_."

Lex eye's automatically scanned her body. Yes, Clara was indeed a woman, an _18-year-old woman_. This was straying into _dangerous_ territory. He needed to get someone, anyone, before he did something inappropriate.

Clara continued:

"All night I've been taking pictures of couples, dancing...touching..._kissing_. All I could think about was that I don't have someone to be that _close _with. That I'm 18-years-old, and I've never been kissed."

Lex adjusted his cuff in slight discomfort and pretended to be checking his phone, which she eyed for a moment thoughtfully.

"You've got plenty of time before you have to worry about all that Clara. One day, you're going to meet some wonderful, handsome guy and you won't have time to hang around with old billionaire geeks like me."

"But I already know a wonderful, _handsome _guy" she said, smiling at him with a wholly uncharacteristic predatory grin.

"Really?" he asked jokingly, "Who do I have to have killed? It's not that that Lucas kid is it?"

"No" she said, "I'm not his _type_" Clara emphasised, cocking her head and raising an eyebrow to convey her meaning.

Lex raised an eyebrow at her inference, the Lang kid was gay? He never would have guessed.

"Well, it's his loss. Now" he said, standing up, trying to redirect the conversation "how about we go get some popcorn and watch some tv, and afterwards I'll drive you over to Chloe's? Can't have you walking there barefoot can we? How did you lose your shoes anyway?"

"I had something _else_ in mind"

"I could drive you home if you prefer? Let me call your parents and tell them..."

"No!" Clara said sharply and Lex could have sworn he saw something red flash across her cerulean eyes.

"Now come on Clara" Lex tried to reason "it's just to tell them of the change in plans."

Lex lifted his phone upwards to dial and suddenly Clara snatched it away with the swiftness of a viper, he heard the creak and crunch of plastic and metal and then Lex watched as the shard-like debris of his phone were scattered across the floor. This has just gotten serious. Lex opened his mouth to lecture Clara only for his breath to be stolen as soft, pink lips met his. Long, strong arms wrapped themselves around his shoulders and pulled him forcefully deeper into the kiss. A lithe hand reached up and nails raked softly across his bare scalp and neck, trailing down and over his silk clad back. Clara's body was flush against his, he could feel her warm curves pressing into his skin, her scent in his nose, and found his hands reaching out to grab her waist on instinct, reciprocating her embrace. The hand that had trailed down slipped under Lex's silk shirt and Lex's brain kicked into gear. What was he doing? Clara was obviously under the influence of something! Now he had been up close and personal, he definitely smelled alcohol.

Lex pulled away abruptly, this was wrong. This wasn't Clara, his Clara wouldn't act like this.

"Clara! What are you doing?!" he exclaimed angrily, grabbing Clara's hands and disengaging himself from her, stepping a safe distance away and trying to calm his body. It had been all too ready to accept her attention, betraying his mind after over a year of celibacy.

"Didn't you like it? Was it bad? I really like you Lex, I've never felt this way about anyone." Clara took a step forward and wobbled slightly, but Lex kept his hands out and on her arms preventing her from coming closer.

"Ever since I pulled you out of that creek I think about you all the time, your eyes, your hands, your lips... and we met when we were little, what are the odds we'd find each other again as adults! Don't you see? It's fate! We're meant to be together"

Lex tried to ignore how much he wanted everything Clara said to be true. She was impaired in some way, probably by the alcohol. But the darker part of him, the one that arose when he had moral dilemmas, was urging him to proceed, to make Clara his.

"Clara, have you had any alcohol tonight?" he reasoned, acting the part of the responsible adult.

Clara balked "What? No!"

Lex remembered those protestations all too well from his own misspent youth.

"I know alcohol when I taste it Clara."

"Fine, someone _may_ have spiked the punch, but I only had two sips! I'm not drunk!"

She looked indignant and Lex, despite Clara's impairment, found himself believing her. But if it wasn't the alcohol affecting her, then what was it? But wait, he'd seen something else affect her this strongly before.

"Clara, we both know if you weren't being influenced by something you never would have kissed me. Two sips of alcohol wouldn't make anyone this impaired, but we both know you're affected by other things. Have you been anywhere near the green meteor rock tonight?"

"No I haven't! Why won't you believe I have feelings for you?"

Clara looked on the verge of tears and it nearly broke Lex's heart.

"Clara, I would be the luckiest man on the earth if you did. But you're only 18 and your judgement is impaired. I would be a monster if I took advantage of you in this state. Now let's get you a glass of water and call your parents."

It really killed the darker part of him to say that.

Clara's eyes widened in fright.

"Please don't call my parents!"

At that moment, Lex's desk phone rang and he gave Clara a pointed look, steering her around the desk to sit in his chair. He picked up the phone and answered:

"Lex Luthor"

"Lex! Thank God you picked up! Something's wrong with Clara! Sheriff Ethan's at the dance, someone spiked the punch with alcohol contaminated by some sort of red meteor rock! Clara had a bad reaction and now I can't find her! Have you seen her? She's not herself!"

So Clara had shown symptoms at the dance then. Red meteor rock? He'd never heard of it, but considering how the green affected her, red couldn't be good either. Lex wondered what she'd done at the dance. Had she come onto any of the boys? He felt a thrill of jealousy at that thought.

"Chloe, calm down! Clara's here with me and I admit she's been acting a little out of character. Why don't you go ahead and call the Kent's for me while I try and sober her up a little."

"Are you sure you can handle her?"

Lex looked at Clara assessing her, she'd definitely calmed down, by calm he meant she wasn't groping him.

"I'll be fine."

Lex could practically feel Chloe's relief as she agreed and they mutually hung up.

"Your parents will be here soon, do you want some water?"

Lex looked at Clara again, whose warm glow was fading and was rapidly being replaced with a sweaty sheen.

"Lex...I don't...I don't feel so good."

Clara was rapidly beginning to look ill and shaky and Lex felt a thrill of panic as he saw her sweat had a pink sheen to it.

"Come on" he said, wrapping her arm around his neck and lifting her up from the chair, walking swiftly towards the nearest bathroom. He knew this routine, he's suffered it many times after nights filled with drugs and alcohol. Clara was coming down and going through withdrawal. It wouldn't be a pleasant night for her.

For the next 20 minutes Lex held back Clara's hair as she expelled the contents of her stomach into the porcelain basin and murmured platitudes to her, stroking her back. After a while she was only dry heaving and the top of her dress was stained fuchsia by the pink sweat that had seeped into it. It seemed her body had gotten rid of the most of the contamination and Lex felt it was safe to move her back to the living room. There he lay her on the couch with a blanket while she shivered.

"I'm...I'm sorry Lex..."

"Shhh, don't worry about it, we'll talk later, just rest now."

Lex tried to ignore the piercing gaze of Jonathan Kent as he arrived and lifted his shivering daughter up in his strong arms and into his truck outside in the courtyard. Lex had followed them out while Martha took the time to thank him for looking after Clara while she was ill and then they drove away. Lex had a feeling this wasn't the end of the matter between he and Jonathan Kent.

Lex stood in his driveway for several minutes after they'd driven away, playing the bizarreness of the night through his head. Clara has _kissed_ him, probably her first kiss ever. The darker part of him was pleased about that. She said she _cared_ about him, that she wanted to be with him, and despite the excuses he'd given her, "in vino veritas". Could they have a future together? Perhaps not now, but maybe when she was older, could his feelings be reciprocated? Then there was the behaviour she'd displayed, so wild, primal and the way his phone has just shattered, he could definitely confirm speed and strength, no ordinary girl could crumble a phone with her bare hand. But he'd promised not to investigate why and that was nearly killing him.

Lex was distracted from his musings by panting, which looking down he saw belonged to Swift, who was now sitting patiently beside him, looking up adoringly.

"Some bodyguard you are! Where have you been?"

Of course Swift's only answer was a friendly bark and Lex sighed.

"Come on Swift, I think I need a stiff drink and a shower, a very _cold_ shower."

The pair walked back into the house.

**Author's Note: Hope you liked it! Please read & Review! **


	40. Chapter 40

**Disclaimer: I don't own Superman, Smallville or DC**

**Author's Note: Thanks for all your wonderful reviews, here's the morning after!**

**Chapter 40**

The first thing Clara Kent knew the morning after the Winter Formal was pain, a throbbing ache in her head exacerbated by the blaring sounds of the world around her. She could hear cars on the road about 20 miles off, the morning chorus of the birds like blaring car alarms, and the sound of her parents coming in from doing their morning chores like a herd of elephants. Clara tentatively opened her eyes only to slam them shut in agony as light pierced through her optic nerves like hot needles, and she became aware that her mouth was as dry as a desert. The bedclothes grated on her like sand paper as she threw her arm across her eyes and felt the world spin around her like she was in a maelstrom. Clara bravely lowered her protective arm to see she was wearing her favourite cow print pyjamas, and her formal dress was hung up forlornly on the back of the door, the formerly pristine blue stained a pinkish-purple around the edges.

The sight of the dress caused a flood of disjointed images to flash across Clara's addled brain. She tried to make sense of them, she'd gone to the dance, taken the pictures and then...then she'd gone to get some punch. That's where it got hazy, she'd felt good, warm, excited, she'd argued with Chloe, then, then she'd run as fast as she could, exhilarated by the speed. But she'd been lonely, she wanted some_thing_, no, some_one_, she'd gone to Lex's house. Yes, that was it, she'd gone to Lex's house and she'd...

Oh Jeez, she'd kissed Lex!

Clara shot upright and tried to ignore the now familiar nausea that followed. It all came flooding back, how she'd flirted with Lex, kissed him, caressed him, confessed her feelings for him, destroyed his phone and how he'd looked after her while she was ill until her parents came for her. Why had she done that?! Oh he must think she was a complete hussy! How could she ever face him again? What about her parents?! Did they know what she'd done? Had Lex told them?!

Clara became so wrapped up in her internal worry and chastisement she nearly jumped out of her skin when her Mom knocked lightly on the door.

"Clara sweetie, are you up? There's some breakfast and Tylenol waiting for you downstairs if you want them"

Ah, so they weren't going to let her stay up here and wallow.

"O-Okay Mom, I'll be down in a minute" Clara said, surprised by the raspy nature of her voice.

There was no avoiding it, her parents obviously wanted to talk about what happened. Maybe they knew what was in the punch? She'd have to face them to find out, but first, a shower and some clothes. Clara experimentally put her feet on the floor and stood up, wobbling slightly, she thought to any onlookers she would have closely resembled a newborn calf finding its legs for the first time. Now she was upright she took a few steps to her dresser and pulled out the clothes she needed, and found the world wasn't spinning anymore. She hurried to the bathroom and spent 15 minutes with the hot water trickling over her, hoping it would abate the aches in her body, and delay the unpleasant meeting downstairs. She watched as a pale pink substance fell off her skin into the drain and realised that must be what had stained the dress, but what was it? Finally, once she was dried and dressed, there was no avoiding the inevitable and she walked downstairs barefoot, heavily supported by the balustrade.

Clara was greeted by the sight of her parents sitting at the kitchen table, and a fresh plate of toast.

"Good morning" said her Mom, indicating for her to sit "How's your head? You should take the Tylenol first, hopefully it helps, though we're not sure how human drugs work with your biology."

Clara nodded and picked up the glass of water on the counter and downed the two pills. It occurred to her that this was the first time she'd ever taken any kind of medicine. She'd not even had any vaccinations, she'd always been conveniently off school whenever they came around, as the needles wouldn't pierce her skin. Was this what it felt like to be sick?

"Eat the toast now sweetie, it should help settled your stomach, then we'll talk."

Jonathan Kent gave his wife a pointed look, but neither of her parents seemed angry or upset, well, her Dad was frowning but that was his concerned frown, not his angry frown, he reserved that for her Grandfather.

The toast tasted far more complex than it usually did, and she couldn't really explain why. The texture was harsher in her mouth and each swallow seemed like it took a lifetime. Finally, all that was left was crumbs and Clara knew she'd have to face the music.

"So" began Jonathan "Chloe's told us some of what happened last night. She came by this morning with your camera, you left it at the dance, along with your bag. It turns out that the punch was spiked with alcohol that contained traces of meteor rock, _red_ meteor rock."

"Red meteor rock?" Clara asked, puzzled. She'd never heard of red meteor rock before.

"Yes, Sheriff Ethan says a large amount of it was found over by the Jefferson's farm, it contaminated all their crops and it seems the Daniel's brothers stole some of it and made moonshine. They've been selling it to teenagers, and Chloe told us that Bobby Singer and San Winchester spiked the punch with it. They're being cautioned at the Sheriff's office. Now Clara, we know that side of the story, but we need to know yours. Your mother and I need to know what happened last night. How did you end up at the Luthor boy's house?"

Clara looked from her hands, which were clasped together on the table and saw her mother put a hand on her Dad's arm, as if to tell him to tone it down.

"We're not mad sweetie, none of this was your fault. We just need to know what happened, how the rock affected you, we haven't encountered it before."

Clara bit her lip but knew she couldn't stay silent.

"I drank the punch at the danced, then I started to feel strange..."

Clara told them about her argument with Chloe, how she seemed to have lost control of her emotions and some of her co-ordination, how outrageous things suddenly became good ideas, how she'd decided to run to Lex's house...though she began to edit heavily.

"-so I ran to Lex's house and jumped the fence, I think I lost my shoes on the way. I found Lex in his office and we talked...then-I-started-to-feel-sick-and-he-called-you-to-come-get-me" she finished hurriedly.

Jonathan Kent looked at his daughter with incredulity at this edited version of events, and Martha realised that there were some things a teenage girl couldn't admit in front of their father.

"Honey, Krypto hasn't been out for his walk yet, how about you take him out."

Jonathan looked at his wife grimly and nodded and Krypto appeared as if from thin air at the utter of the word "walk".

Once they were safely away from the house Martha took Clara's hand and said.

"What happened at Lex's house sweetie, I promise, I won't be mad, but I need to know if you're alright."

Clara felt on the verge of tears, but she couldn't let her Mom think Lex had done something wrong.

"I...I went to Lex's house and I kissed him, I told him I have feelings for him...but he pulled away, he told me it was wrong and then he called you! He did _nothing_ wrong!"

Martha nodded and stroked her thumb over Clara's hand.

"I see, how long have you had these feelings for Lex?"

"F-For a few months, I didn't really know how strong they were un-until last night. But now he's going to _hate_ me!" Clara felt tears begin to trickle from her eyes.

"No Clara-Lily not at all. If anything, the way Lex looked after you last night was the opposite of hate. Not every man would have been as honourable as Lex was last night. He's a very good friend to you. But, you want something more?"

Clara nodded in defeat.

"It sounds to me Clara that this red meteor rock took away your inhibitions, somewhat like being drunk. From what you and Chloe have said it also amplified your emotions. It's perfectly understandable that you would have gone to Lex if you care for him. I'm sure he understands too."

"But...what do I do? I've kissed one of my best friends. It's going to change everything. What if...what if he doesn't feel the same?"

Martha sighed.

"I don't have all the answers sweetie. Lex is a fair bit older than you, and your father doesn't really approve of his family, but I can see Lex has his heart in the right place. You're 18 now and whether your father and I like it or not you're old enough to make your own decisions about who you want to spend your time with. It's up to you to decide whether you want to go back to the way things were, or if you want to try for something more."

Clara looked into her mother's earnest blue eyes.

"So you're saying..."

"If Lex is the man you want to be with, your father and I can't stand in the way. But you're only 18, you haven't even graduated yet, there's no reason to rush into anything. If Lex is the man you think he is, and feels the same way you do, then he'll understand, and he'll wait."

Clara understood what her Mom was saying, but could Lex feel the way about her she did about him? Would he wait around for a teenage farm girl, when he could have millions of other women?

Another thought came rushing to Clara, and she blurted out.

"I think that Lex saw me crush his cell phone. When I was...when I was _close_ to him someone tried to phone him and I got jealous, I crush it at super speed and threw it across the room. I think he saw me do it."

"Lex already knows that there's something special about you doesn't he?" said Martha, thinking back to their previous encounters.

"Yeah, at-at Halloween he promised me he wouldn't investigate what it was, he said as long as he knew I was special then I wouldn't be lying by not telling him the specifics."

Martha was surprised, Lex Luthor had known her daughter was exceptional for over 4 months and hadn't said anything.

"Then you have another decision to make. All relationships should be founded on honesty, if they are to last. You're old enough to make that choice now."

"You're saying I can tell Lex what I am? You trust him?"

"Honey, if he's the man you want to be with, what's more important is, do you trust him with this part of you? Because if you don't, can you be with him and lie to him every day?"

Did Clara trust Lex? She thought over the last five months she'd known him, such a short time but so much had happened. She thought back to the times she'd saved him and vice versa, the times he'd turned a blind eye when she'd asked, the pact they'd made, the way he'd held back her hair as she was ill, how he'd refused to take advantage of her...

"Yes, yes I do trust Lex. He deserves to know, before we can even consider having any kind of relationship. He's earned it."

Martha nodded and squeezed her daughter's hand.

"Well now that decisions made, now for the second hardest part."

"What?"

"Telling your father"

Clara winced, she'd just decided to tell her billionaire best-friend she's an alien in the hopes of starting a romantic relationship, but somehow telling her Dad about it first was going to be much worse than the actual deed.

**Author's Note: Hope you like it, please review! **


	41. Chapter 41

**Disclaimer: I don't own Superman, Smallville or DC**

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! I apologise for the long delay, lots of work and a very bad cold have gotten in the way! Enjoy and please review! **

**Chapter 41**

Jonathan Kent slammed the wrench onto the ground as he lay beneath the tractor engine, reaching his hand into his box of tools blind and finding the nuts he had deposited there. Jonathan had found from an early age that the best way to sort out his feelings was through working. The first time Martha had turned down his proposal he replaced every fence in the property by hand, the second time he'd raised a barn, and the third he completely renovated the house. Luckily the fourth time she said yes or he might have had to start breaking things to have something to do. For Jonathan Kent the world had always been simple, there were good people, and bad people, and it was easy to tell which was which. The apple never fell far from the tree and so bad more often than not ran in families, it was just the way they were brought up. There was a lot to be said for nurture in the nature/nurture debate.

Lionel Luthor was a dangerous, manipulative and deceptive man who used the mask of civility to cover a cacophony of sins. Lionel Luthor had blackmailed Jonathan into convincing the Ross's to sell their farm, Lionel Luthor had threatened to have Clara taken away, Lionel Luthor had sent his son to Smallville...Nothing was ever for free for the Luthor's. Everything had a price, including love. The price for loving and keeping Clara had been the Ross's happiness. It still ate Jonathan up inside but he would make the same choice again.

But what would be the price for Clara loving a Luthor?

Objectively, Lex Luthor had done some good for Clara, he had covered for her in some awkward situations, come to her aid, and according to his daughter, saved her life on Halloween. But at the same time, Lex Luthor had a past history of instability which had been splashed over every major tabloid, a string of past love affairs that had often lasted less than one night, and dishonesty and backstabbing ran in his family. Now, Jonathan Kent knew his daughter was a beautiful, sweet, caring young woman and he could see why any man would be drawn to her, but if the Luthor boy wanted her, was it for the right reasons? Could a Luthor be trusted with his daughter's heart, let alone her secret?

In his heart Jonathan Kent couldn't answer that question.

Jonathan slid out from underneath the now perfectly tuned engine and stood up, rubbing his oily hands on a rag by the tool chest and starting to tidy his tools. He couldn't get Clara's earnest face out of his mind, the way she'd looked while stating her case:

"_I care about him Dad, I can't help it, and I think one day soon, I might love him. But I know, I just __**know **__that Lex deserves to know all the facts before we can be together...if that's what he wants. He's earned it. I don't want to live a lie."_

All he could hope for was that Clara was right, because if she was wrong, then he dreaded to think of the consequences.

Or what the next price to pay for loving Clara would be.

...

After making one of the biggest decisions of her life, Clara found her mind beginning to focus on the minor details. Like:

"_what do you wear to tell Lex Luthor you're probably in love with him, oh and by the way, you're an Alien!" _

Well, she'd said the first part, mostly, last night, not that he'd taken her seriously. After tearing through her closet and seeing the multitude of jeans and plaid that dominated, the answer became clear to Clara. She should wear what she always did, because love wasn't about the special gestures, it was the everyday that mattered. Anyone could make a onetime effort to give some flowers or have a night out, but what happened once the shine was off and domesticity snuck in? Plus, last night had been the big "gesture", Clara glanced at her stained and ruined dress, yes, it was best to keep things pure and simple.

So Clara made her preparations and waited until the evening, pacing around he rearrange fortress of solitude and periodically looking out the barn hatch to monitor the progress of the sun as it slowly oozed across the sky like syrup. Clara had always considered herself a patient person, you had to be on a farm, but today she felt nearly as agitated as the red kryptonite had made her last night. What if Lex said no? She had broken into his home, come onto him, practically sexually assaulted him and broken his cell phone! But then...he'd held her hair back as she was ill, refused to take advantage of her and he'd said...he'd said if she'd loved him he would be the happiest man on earth...or something to that effect, she couldn't remember everything.

Clara sat on her couch and jiggled her legs, which made the loft rumble ominously. Finally, the sun went down, and she ran to the kitchen, picked up the landline and dialling Lex's home phone. She held her breath, what if he wasn't at home?

Lex picked up after two rings

"Lex Luthor"

"Hey..." she said, nervously twisting the landline cord in her fingers.

"_Clara_" he breathed, sounding relieved "how are you?"

Clara cringed, worrying the phone cord into furious snarls in her fingers.

"A lot better...thank you...thank you _so much_ for what you did... last night..."

"I'm your friend Clara, what else could I do?"

Clara's heart sank at the word "friend" but she was determined.

"I know it's getting late but...is there any chance that...well...can...can you come over here? I have something...something I need to show you...to _tell_ you."

Clara glanced out the kitchen window in the direction of the barn she had just vacated and listened to the rapid beating of her own heart resonate in her ears as she waited for Lex's answer. What if he said no?

Several seconds went by like hours.

"Sure, I just have to wrap up a few e-mails. How about in half an hour?"

"Great!" Clara said, secretly jumping up and down, glad he couldn't see her.

"_See-you-then-bye!_" she gushed, hanging up abruptly before he could change his mind. Then she castigated herself, running her hands through her long hair, what if he thought she was still _under the influence_, she probably sounded mad!

Half an hour would seem like an eternity, but it would give her time to get some more things ready.

No going back now.

Martha Kent watched this exchange from the living room and emerged once Clara had zoomed out the back door. Tonight was important for Clara, she didn't need her parents hovering, but they wouldn't go too far. Jonathan came in the door covered in engine grease and with a grim expression on his handsome face. He began to wash off his hands in the sink. Martha hadn't seen him this wound up since they'd had their first encounter with Lionel Luthor. She decided she was going to take Jonathan out for dinner, otherwise he'd probably take the house apart. Plus, some things a daughter needed to do on her own.

...

The drive to the Kent farm was one filled with curiosity, hope and a large amount of anxiety. Lex gripped his leather wheel tightly and made sure to obey every traffic law that existed, as if he could feel Jonathan Kent glaring at him already. It seemed the only person in the world who could make him sweat was Clara's father, perhaps because he respected the man so much. Unbidden Lex's mind inevitably wandered to last night, the feeling of Clara's soft lips on his, so different from the kiss of life she'd given him on at the bridge, so passionate, the way her body had fit so well against his, her smell, her taste, her proclamations of affection.

Lex signalled left off of the main road, something a few months ago he would never have bothered to do on such a deserted stretch of dirt. It seemed that from the first moment Clara had breathed life back into him under that bridge he had been irrevocably altered, things that had once been trivial were now important and what had once seemed vital now seemed banal. Clara had given him a second chance, if it weren't for her, he would have been the billionaire playboy who drowned in the sticks. A stupid, self centred and ignorant fool who valued money and power over everything else. His mother would have been ashamed of him. Now...now he had different priorities, the punishment of running the Smallville companies was now a vocation, he was building networks and ties to the local community, he was becoming a respectable figure, and he had begun to care about other people, and thanks to Clara, was becoming cared about in return. He could not have imagined all this before that day on the bridge, it was as if Clara and the waters of Smallville had baptised him and absolved him of all sins. Well...she'd also helped him commit some new ones.

What could Clara want to show him? Had she told her parents what happened? Would Jonathan Kent be waiting with a shotgun and a pre-dug grave? He could see the headlines now "Farmer shoots billionaire for dishonouring daughter". Lionel would probably die laughing. Whatever it was Clara had to tell him, it must be important, he'd never heard her so nervous before. Lex's thoughts inevitably turned to that Halloween night in the maze. Could it be that Clara was going to reveal her secret tonight? If so, was he ready to know? And was he ready to reciprocate with his own?

Lex pulled off the dirt track and saw the lights of the Kent house, warm and inviting despite his uncertainty, and pulled up in the driveway. There was no sign of Jonathan Kent's worn pickup and that gave Lex more courage than was strictly warranted. He didn't think he was ready to face the man yet, he respected him too much to look him in the eye after having kissed his daughter, at least, not for a few more days. Lex's self admonishments were interrupted by the sight of Clara's silhouette in the doorway, illuminated by the light coming from inside, like a halo. His heart stuttered involuntarily. Lex glanced furtively into the passenger seat and picked up the bunch of sunflowers he'd bought for her. They were the flower that most reminded him of Clara, she seemed to emanate light like the sun, so bright, vibrant and warm. He felt constantly drawn to that warmth, like the proverbial moth to the flame, and he'd spent a sleepless night tossing and turning at the memory of that warmth against him, permeating him. In the bitter watches of the night Lex had decided he couldn't hide from that light anymore, dash the consequences. Clara's declaration last night had given him hope.

For the first time in his life, Lex was uncertain about how to proceed, how to court an 18-year-old girl. He was acting like a teenager, and he reminded once again that that was exactly what Clara was, he would need to take things slow.

Well, there was only one way to find if he would be taking anything anywhere either way.

Lex opened the door, stepped out, and walked forwards, he was relieved to see Clara was smiling, if a little nervously.

"Hi" she said, stopping short of him. So, there would be a little awkwardness, but Lex could work with that, all relationship's were like board room negotiations, he would just have to talk his way back into her good graces to get the best deal. But first, the ice breaker.

"I bought you these, my Mom always liked flowers when she was sick"

Clara looked at the vibrant bouquet in awe, the only person who had ever given her flowers were her parents.

"Thank you, that's really sweet" she said, taking the bundle carefully.

"Come in" she said, nodding with her head "I'll put these in some water and then...well...I've got something to show you.."

So they went into the house and Lex watched as Clara busied herself with finding a vase, filling it with water and then opening a draw and putting a saché of something into it, before cutting the stems of the flowers diagonally.

"What's this?" Lex asked, holding up the empty saché.

"Oh, it's plant food, it'll make them last longer, the same for the stems."

Well, he learned something new every day with Clara it seemed. This is what he had wanted, Clara at her ease with him, not the awkwardness of a few moments before, the flowers had done their job. Lex got a strange feeling watching Clara potter around the kitchen, as if they were meant to be there together, perhaps he would be cooking dinner, and soon he'd hear little feet coming down the stairs. Instead he heard the clicking of claws on the floor as Krypto came to say hello to him, sniffing eagerly at his pant legs, most likely smelling his old friend Swift. Lex scratched the blond dogs head as he sat patiently beside him.

Clara put the flowers down on the dining room table in pride of place, their cheerful yellow matching the country kitchen perfectly.

"Thank you again, they're lovely. I hope they didn't cost too much, they are out of season..."

Lex smiled wanly, trust Clara to worry how much her gift was worth.

"It's never a chore to buy flowers for a lady, and you know better than to worry about money with a Luthor. I have it on good authority we have more money than God."

"Lex!" admonished Clara, slapping him on the arm lightly. This was good, thought Lex, skin tingling from the contact through the jacket, they were joking again, at ease.

"Come on, there's something I need to show you in the barn."

Lex followed Clara dutifully outside to the barn and up the stairs to what he remembered she had called her "fortress of solitude". But it wasn't how he remembered it, the couch and desk had been moved aside and the space replaced by a large tarpaulin over 3ft long and egg shaped.

Clara moved in front of the large object and Lex stood at the top of the stairs patiently. She wrung her hands together nervously, Clara had tried to think of the best way to explain everything, and it turned out, in her head, the best way to introduce her tale was with a story that both she and Lex already knew.

"I remember when I first started reading Warrior Angel, and all the times that he would suddenly disappear on Penelope when a disaster was happening, and all the excuses he would give her. "I had a family emergency" "I was following a lead" "I had a dentist appointment" – and I always wondered why his Penelope never saw through it, I mean, she was a _reporter!_"

Clara turned around and gestured with her hands for emphasis, looking at Lex who was watching calmly.

"Then, issue 316 came around, you know, when Stephen Swift came out to her as Warrior Angel to her? And while she was mad, I always thought she got over all the lies too quickly. I mean, by then they had a relationship, were pretty close to living together, and her partner had this whole other life he'd lied about. Can you realistically base a true relationship on a situation like that? It might work in the comic books, but I think in real life there would always be the doubt: "If he could lie to my face about something so important for so long, what else could he have lied about?" But of course, you aren't meant to think about that."

Clara looked up from her hands.

"You've known that I'm different for a while now and after last night you know I have strong feelings for you. I...I'd like us to be more than friends-"

Lex opened his mouth to speak but she held up her hands to silence him and he obeyed.

"-but even if you want that, it isn't right until you know everything about me. I don't want to lie to you and I've had to ever since I pulled you out of the water on that bridge, even if it's by omission. So, whether or not we are together romantically in the future, you deserve to know who I am, as my _friend._"

Clara dropped her hands and gestured to the couch she'd pushed to the side.

"Are you sure you don't want to sit down for this?"

"Clara, whatever it is, I'll be fine, _trust me_."

"I do, or you wouldn't be here."

Clara smiled at him quickly and Lex felt warmth flood through him. No one had ever told him they trusted him before, and coming from Clara it meant more than anything. She walked to the tarpaulin, and remembered her plan, she had always been good at telling stories, it would be the best way to go about this.

"You remember the day we met? Not on the bridge, the _first_ time, the day of the meteor shower?"

"Of course, you don't really forget the day your life changed."

"My Dad found yours on the side of the road, you were hurt, because of the meteor shower. But...you weren't the first person my parents found that day. Because...my Dad found me that day too, he found me, and _this_."

Clara pulled off the tarpaulin to reveal the vessel, sleek and egg-like, with its different symbols and glyphs. Lex looked between Clara and the ship and she gestured that it was alright to come closer while walking to the top of it closest to the window, giving Lex space to examine.

"The meteor shower weren't a random thing, it was the result of an event. Hundreds of light years away a planet suffered a massive cataclysmic incident which caused it to lose integrity and explode. The debris shot across space, until it entered Earth's atmosphere and landed in Smallville."

Clara came to stand at the top of the ship and placed her hands on the metal which seemed to resonate under her fingertips. Lex stood opposite her at the foot of it, looking at them both.

"The planet was called Krypton, it was home to a highly advanced race renowned through the Galaxy for their technology, philosophy, wisdom, and benevolence. But one man, General Zod, led a war campaign which caused the planets destruction. The world's greatest scientist, Jor-El, foresaw the planets doom, and knowing he didn't have much time, he built a ship with room for only one. For his baby daughter, Kala-El. He and his wife Lara-El put her in the ship and launched it towards a world that Jor-El had visited in his youth, Earth, in the hopes that the right people would find and raise her. He loaded the ship with all the wisdom of their civilisation so that when she was old enough Kala-El would be able to inherit it and Krypton would not truly die."

Lex didn't say anything, so Clara went on, fingers absentmindedly stroking the metal of the ship.

"The ship took 2 years sailing across space to reach Earth, with the fragments of Krypton following in its wake. It entered earth's atmosphere and both landed in Smallville, causing devastation. Kala-El climbed out of the ship, a 3-year-old girl on her own, and wandered through the field she'd landed in, until she reached the road and found a red pickup truck that had been turned over by one of the meteor rocks."

Clara smiled involuntarily at her first memory of her parents.

"There she found Jonathan and Martha Kent, who found her ship and borrowed a friend's truck in order to get them both home, but they were flagged down by a man in a business suit on the road, Lionel Luthor."

Clara and Lex made direct eye contact as she recounted this and Clara tried to will him to understand and accept her, heart in her throat, willing him to know how sorry she was for the harm her planet had caused him.

"His son had been hurt in the meteor storm, so Jonathan Kent gave them a ride to the hospital and the Kent's took the strange child from the field home and hid the ship. They couldn't have children of their own and over the next few weeks the Kent's bonded with the little girl, though she didn't understand English, and tried to think of a story to tell people so no one would take her away. Then, Lionel Luthor came to visit under the guise of thanking them, but instead he blackmailed the Kent's into convincing the Ross family into selling their farm in return for arranging the adoption of the little girl, who would become Clara Kent. Jonathan agreed and false records were made, but he never forgave Lionel Luthor."

Lex broke eye contact and leant gingerly on the ship with both hands, looking at the symbols, before looking up again at Clara's face over the small space.

"Over the next few years, the Kent's discovered that Clara had abilities far greater than any human. She never got sick, never got cold, never got so much as a scratch, she lifted a whole tractor at age 4, she could run faster than a train at age 6, and last September, she was hit by a speeding Ferrari, punched through its windscreen and pulled its driver to safety on the shore. Little did she know it was the same boy she'd met on her first day on Earth. Fate had brought them back together and Clara would never be the same."

A silence fell between them, both looking at each other, and the only thing Clara could think to do was joke.

"Now...at the end of this issue of "Smallville", in a dramatic twist, Clara Kent has revealed her secret identity to Lex Luthor. So, in the next issue, will he accept it...and her?"

Lex's hand lightly traced the "S" liked symbol on the ship, and looked up at the necklace around Clara's neck and his face showed a decision had been reached. He held out his hand to Clara and in hope she approached and took it and they walked to the open window, gazing out into the cosmos, hands still clutched together. They didn't say anything and Clara didn't dare break the silence, terrified he would let go of her hand and flee from her in disgust.

Finally, after an eternity, Lex turned and took Clara's other hand, and gazed into her blue eyes.

"So..._Krypton?_"

"Yeah"

"That makes you...?"

"Kryptonian"

"Right, so Kala-El of Krypton. It's a pretty name."

"I still prefer Clara, it's who I've been most of my life."

Lex glanced out the window at the stars and for the first time since he was a child, knew for a certainty that they, humans, were not alone in the universe. It was actually a good feeling.

"I always knew you were special, but this Clara, just confirms what I've known since that day on the bridge, that you really are out of this world. I am truly honoured that you have trusted me with this, and with your heart."

Lex's lip quirked and Clara felt the tension leave her body and hope soar, did this mean they could be together?!

"So, you aren't weirded out that I'm a different species?" she joked.

Lex cocked his eyebrow and moved one of his hands to brush away one of Clara's errant curls.

"Clara, I grew up poring over issues of Warrior Angel _dreaming_ that someone like you could exist, and here you are. I never believed in fate until now, but you were right last night, us meeting again wasn't just chance. I care about you deeply Clara, you're still the same girl who I went to football games and watched comic book movies with, my knowing this doesn't change who you are. I just know for sure now that you really are the most special girl in the world, my Warrior Angel.No, not_ girl, y_ou really are a Super _Woman,_ and if you'll still have me, I'd like to see whether there can be an "us". We can take it slow, work things out as we go along, so what if you're an alien? I'm a billionaire playboy with daddy issues, we've all got problems."

Clara was so elated she felt like jumping on the spot, which wouldn't be dignified, so she slipped her hands from Lex's and mimicking last night, slid her arms around Lex's waist, while his arms came around her. This felt right, how could she have gotten so lucky? An odd thought entered her head and she now felt safe airing it.

"So...if I'm Warrior Angel, does that make you Penelope?"

Lex smiled and rested his forehead against hers.

"Don't expect me to be wearing those heels anytime soon."

Clara parted their heads and looked into his eyes without fear.

"You know, last night was my first kiss, and seeing as I was "under the influence", I don't think it counts. Can we try again?"

"I think that can be arranged Miss Kent, I wouldn't want to cause and Intergalactic incident."

Their lips connected, and it was slow, soft, sweet, and Clara felt as if her whole body was warm, but not like the fiery heat of last night, this was like basking in the sun. She had never felt safer, more whole, in her life. They parted and smiled and one another, resting their foreheads together and then as Lex's faculties returned to him he realised that they were higher up that they should be.

"Clara" he whispered to her "...Is it just me, or are we not on the ground anymore?"

Clara looked down, and they suddenly dropped to the floor from where they had been hovering a foot above it, stumbling slightly.

"Sorry, the floating is new."

After all the tension of the night, Lex took the opportunity to laugh at the greatness and the absurdity of it all. The girl he loved was the last surviving member of an alien race with super powers!

"Clara Kent, I don't know what the future holds for us, but it's going to be _very _interesting. Now how about we go rustle up a snack and you can tell me about what else is "new""

Lex said, winking, and Clara took his hand and led him back to the house.

Neither noticed the Martian Man Hunter watching from afar, and flying off into the distance. So the Luthor boy was not a threat, as of yet, but this did not mean Kala-El would be safe with him. The Man Hunter would have to monitor the situation and accelerate his plans, the last daughter of Krypton would need allies at her side.

**Authors Note: Thank you all for reading, I hope I did it justice, though I know I can't please everyone! Please read and review! **


	42. Chapter 42

**Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville, Superman or DC**

**Author's Note: So sorry for the long hiatus, the exhibition I wrote is up at the moment so have been very busy! Here's the next chapter and please read and review! (Also, who else is excited about the new Superman film? It looks ace!)**

Chapter 42

"So, how are things going with your _boyfriend_?"

Clara raised an eyebrow at Chloe who was smirking at her over the screen of her Torch computer. Clara had told Chloe about "coming out" to Lex on Monday, and although they couldn't say his name in public (Clara and Lex wanted to keep things away from the media for now) Chloe was having a field day teasing Clara.

"I don't think you can really call him a _boy_, but he's great. I'm seeing him on Saturday, we're going to walk the dogs together."

"That sounds thrilling. Are there any other physical activities transpiring? I never asked" said Chloe coyly "Are you being _safe?_"

The pencil Clara had been writing with was suddenly obliterated into splinters and she went bright red, glaring at Chloe over her article on the preparations for the upcoming Cheerleader tryouts.

"You know we're not doing..._that!_ L-My _boyfriend _understands I need time, we're just getting used to our new relationship. As for being "safe", I have no idea whether I can even get pregnant by a human. While I may look the same on the outside, inside, genetically speaking, I'm very different. You know I've never even had a period, for all I know, I might be infertile, or at least incompatible with humans."

Clara became pensive. She'd done some research on cross species breeding, and if they could produce offspring, often they were infertile. If she and Lex ever got to the point in their relationship where they wanted to have children, they would have to be some scientific investigations. But deep in her heart, though she didn't fully realise it herself, Clara had the hope of one day marshalling a brood of red heads.

Chloe noticed the change in tone and intervened "Sorry, I didn't mean to bring up a sensitive subject. Don't worry, I'm sure they'll be little Kent's in the future, even if you have to adopt. It worked out well for your parents didn't it? By the way, how are your parents taking it?"

Martha Kent seemed perfectly at ease with Clara's new relationship, even offering to have Lex over for dinner sometime soon, which he appreciated but declined until things had cooled down. Jonathan Kent had remained silent on the subject after their initial "talk", and was handling it the way he always did, stoically working himself to the bone, at least in front of Clara. Clara told Chloe as much.

"Well, your daughter's first boyfriend is always hard. Even if he wasn't a..." Chloe glanced at the open door of _The Torch_ office with students walking past "_you-know-what_ I think your Dad has to dislike him on principle. I'm lucky I was in Metropolis when I met Jimmy, I don't know what my Dad would have done."

Clara took the change of subject eagerly.

"So, have you heard from him at all?"

"I get an e-mail now and then, but we were never serious. He finished his internship and is a junior photographer now. I might look him up once I'm at Metro-U."

Chloe, while capable of getting into any College in the country, was set on studying journalism at Metro-U like Clara. Chloe has always been a city girl in her heart, she was intent on returning to the rat race. Clara knew while she may end up living in Metropolis, her heart would always belong to the golden fields of Smallville.

"How is your S.A.T. prep going?"

Chloe looked up from her article on the new cafeteria menu.

"Probably not as good as yours, now that you aren't holding back."

Clara felt guilty, in the past week, Lex had been encouraging her to test her boundaries, to see what she was capable of. While she had trained herself from a young age to do everything at human speed, this week she discovered that she could speed read through books in seconds and remember the whole contents. She'd always had a good memory, but had felt guilty for having such an advantage over everyone else. Clara had raced through her revision material in 15 minutes, and could probably sit her S.A.T's this second with a perfect score.

"I honestly didn't know I could do that much and still remember it all. I still want to study with you, who knows how long I can retain all of this before I start to forget it?"

Clara knew this was a platitude, and so did Chloe.

"It's okay Clara, really, I think it's great you're testing your boundaries. I admit I was a little put out when you told Lex, not being the only one you'd confide in, but now I see that this will really help you explore yourself in a whole new way."

"Thanks, it means a lot, you saying that."

"So, have you talked to Jason and Lucas yet? About what you said?"

Shame filled Clara from the top of her head to her toes. She'd been awful to Jason in her Kryptonite induced mania, it wasn't his fault who he fell in love with, who was she to talk? Clara had tried to corner him on Monday after school to apologise, but he seemed to be avoiding her, and so was Lucas. She didn't blame them, they must think she was a bigot, or that she would report them.

"No, and I don't want to impose on them. I'll just have to catch them at a convenient time, say I'm sorry. I was awful."

"It could have been worse, you could have told someone else."

Thankfully, Clara hadn't. She was distracted by the bell ringing, lunch was over, it was Friday, which meant tomorrow she would have a whole day with Lex after her chores were done. Suddenly, despite everything, she just couldn't feel that bad about it all. It would all work out.

...

"Super speed, super strength, invulnerability, cold breath...what am I missing out?"

"Heat vision"

"Right, how did that one come about again?"

Clara blushed scarlet and took the chance to distract Lex by throwing a discarded tree branch several hundred feet for the dogs. Over the last week Clara had been explaining more of her abilities to Lex, and he was absorbing all of it with grace and interest.

"Um...it happens when I get a bit...flustered."

Lex got Clara's meaning and smiled to himself.

"Is that why you had trouble making eye contact with me a few months ago?" he asked slyly.

"...no comment."

Lex didn't respond to that but he found he was inordinately pleased with himself. He decided to change the subject but had a bit more of a spring in his step.

"Super speed then, when did you first discover that?"

"I'd always been faster than normal, but I remember I was around 6 and I'd been watching Speedy Gonzalez on the television. I dragged my Mom outside so I could try it, and to her amazement I became a blur in the yard."

"So have you ever timed yourself?"

Clara looked away from Swift and Krypto, who were both chasing the tree branch.

"Not really, when I was 13 I raced a train just to see who would win but I've never been really clinical about it."

"Maybe you should. You've tested your mental agility, and you're basically an athlete, it'd be good for you to know what you limits are, to set targets and improve performance."

"What do you think I'll be doing? Competing in the Galactic Olympics?"

Lex laughed.

"_No_, but I'm just saying, if I could do what you could, I'd want to see what the boundaries were. For instance, have you ever tried testing your balance in something like gymnastics?"

"No, my parents tried to keep me away from competitive sports growing up, kids can get carried away and I might have outed myself. Plus it wouldn't really be fair on everyone else, I have too much of an advantage. It's why my Dad wouldn't let me join the track team last year."

"Well it's always good to broaden your horizons, go on, give it a try."

"Give what a try?"

"Do a cartwheel."

Clara looked around at the deserted property.

"What? Right now?"

"Sure, you said you can't be physically hurt without..._kryptonite_, was it? There's no one for miles, I'm only asking you to try at human strength, to see if you can without practicing first."

Clara felt a little silly with Lex watching her and he seemed to understand because he said:

"I'll go check on the dogs, you just...have a little experiment."

Lex started walking in the direction of the happy barking and Clara stood there, a little self consciously, and then decided to go for it. She held her hands out like she'd seen the cheerleaders do, and pushed off with her right leg, roundhousing perfectly and landing lightly. That hadn't been so bad, maybe she could try the front flip she'd seen them do? For a few minutes she threw herself into the air, always landing perfectly as if her body had done it a thousand times.

Lex came back after 5 minutes with the two dogs happily holding each side of the branch she had thrown.

"So, did you give it a try?"

Clara felt confident now and said:

"Yeah, want to see?"

"Dazzle me."

She cart wheeled, front flipped, back flipped, round housed and rolled over coming to stand in front of him with her arms in a gymnasts pose. Lex clapped for effect.

"Congratulations Clara, you've made the cheerleading team" Lex said, smirking.

"No thanks, I don't need that drama on top of everything else."

"Isn't it nice to know you could though? If you wanted to?"

Funnily enough, now that Clara thought about it, she did feel good knowing she could do gymnastics if she wanted to. She'd never really thought about testing the boundaries of her body, she'd spent so long trying to hide what she could do. Even with Chloe, they'd never really tested it, and with her parents it was always a matter of controlling it. But what if her gifts could be practised? Honed? Could she become faster, stronger, more agile than she was naturally? Like any athlete, these things needed to be trained. She'd never considered training before.

"Yeah, yeah it does."

It was a relief to be able to talk frankly with Lex about this side of herself.

Lex took her hand in his, interlacing their fingers and they began walking on again.

"I personally have always found athletic women _very_ attractive."

Clara blushed and squeezed Lex's fingers, this new aspect of their relationship was taking time for her to get used to. Lex would flirt with her openly now, not too much, just a comment every now and then that made her blush. They'd kissed and hugged and regularly held hands over the last week since her confession, but nothing more than that, and Lex didn't seem to be pushing it. Clara was glad for that, she'd never had any kind of relationship before, she just knew she liked being close to Lex but she wasn't ready for the more _intimate_ things. Lex understood the boundaries without having to be told, which made her even more certain of her decision.

"Does it have something to do with the lycra sports clothes?"

"I think you could pull off a nice blue and red leotard."

"In your dreams Luthor, in your dreams."

"Clara, after the events of this week, you should know, my dreams come true."

Clara stopped walking and placed her lips on his, just to keep him quiet of course.

...

"You have them?"

"Yes Mr Luthor"

"You weren't seen?"

"No Mr Luthor, neither the young lady or your son saw me."

Lionel Luthor leaned back in his Italian Leather desk chair, his hands steepled and nodded his head to his desk.

"Leave them there, along with the SD card from the camera. Your payment is in the briefcase."

The man nodded, did as he was told, and walked out with the case, he knew better than to check the contents in from of Lionel Luthor.

Once the office door had closed behind him, Lionel reached one hand out gracefully and picked up the A4 manila envelope, ripping it open with his razor sharp letter opener. He pulled out the photographs inside and splayed them out in an arc, examining them. One featured his son and the Kent girl holding hands, another of them embracing, and the money shot, his son and Clara Kent kissing in the grounds of the Luthor mansion. It seemed Lex would not need any prodding after all, the plan was proceeding as expected.

The Luthor dynasty would be the greatest there had ever been, Lex would play his part in that.

Children had their uses, they provided grandchildren.

**Author's Note: Hope you all liked it! Please read and review! **


	43. Chapter 43

**Disclaimer: I don't own Superman, Smallville or DC!**

**Author's note: So sorry this has taken so long, I now have a full time job and so have been quite busy! Just so you know, try to spot my shout out to "Man of Steel" in this chapter! Please read and review!**

Chapter 43

Weeks seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye, suddenly the cold crisp air of winter gave way to the warm breath of spring, and life began to sprout everywhere. Nowhere on earth is the passing of this time more apparent than on a farm. Spring is the time the crops take root, and the time of birth. The farmers of Smallville, while technically in competition, also worked as a cooperative to share their skills in the busy season. On top of her schoolwork and writing for the _Torch_, Clara found herself shearing sheep at the Coulson's (where she caught 15-year-old Billy Coulson staring at her chest), helping to repair broken-down tractors across the county (mechanics were expensive), and assisting in the delivery of the spring lambs. Most girls her age would have been "grossed out" by the process of birth, but Clara thought there was something miraculous about it.

Though she sometimes felt a pang that she might never get to experience that miracle herself.

All of this meant that she only got to see Lex one or two evenings a week after her schoolwork, chores, and helping out neighbours (she'd run full speed to his place and back to save time). Also, the S.A.T's were bearing down on her, and though she had memorised every topic and past exam paper, it didn't stop her being nervous. With the money her grandfather gave her, she didn't have to worry about a scholarship, and this made her feel quite guilty. She wouldn't have the debts that Chloe and her peers had, but then, without her grandfather's intervention her parent's would have had to make major sacrifices for her to go to Metro-U. It was a catch 22, she was guilty that she had the money, but glad she wouldn't be a burden to her parents. When she'd tried to explain this to Lex, who had always had money, he was surprisingly sympathetic to her plight.

"Money can be both a blessing and a curse. For me, I've never known if those around me were there for me, or for my checking account. Well, until you" Lex said, kissing Clara's forehead while they were curled up on the couch, Clara resting on his chest as they watched television. They'd gotten a lot more comfortable with each other physically over the last two months, and while they were nowhere near ready to take the _big step_, Clara was happy they'd gotten past the initial intimacy barrier, at least in private.

"The important thing is not to lose sight of the value of a dollar. Always know what you have, but don't let yourself feel you're better than someone who doesn't have it. That can lose you friends, I learned that the hard way. In the end, it's just material. If you feel bad about not having to struggle like your friends, then use the extra time you'll have to make a difference."

That last phrase had struck a chord with Clara, she could feel the undertones, if she had an advantage, she should use it to help others. That counted for her gifts too. Was it fair for her to live a normal life, go to college, have a job, when she could be helping so many people if she didn't? These thoughts weighed heavily on her. But sitting laughing with Chloe, helping her father fix the tractor, filling in College forms with her Mom, curling up on the couch with Lex, she didn't want to give all that up. But if she wasn't struggling to pay for college, she'd at least have more time to help people.

Clara knew she would always have to live two lives, and she was glad she had Lex in both of them. They'd continued to experiment with her limits, timing her running, experimenting with new skills. Lex was proficient in fencing and Jujitsu, and he'd been teaching her some of it:

"Just because you are strong doesn't mean you don't have to be skilled. If for some reason you ever lost your advantage, you'd need to be able to defend yourself like the rest of us. Or, what if someone is just as strong as you? You need tactics."

Yup, Luthor's were all about skill, training and tactics. So Clara was learning about grapple holds, high kicks and punches. All of which let her get quite up close and personal with Lex in a legitimate setting. She had to pull her punches of course, which was good practice anyway for if she ever got into a fight in public and couldn't use her alter-ego, whatever _that _would be. Lex had some thoughts on that.

"Well, traditionally Super hero names are either one word or double barrel, take "Warrior Angel" for instance, or sometimes the two words are merged to create one to show the two aspects of the character are one, like that "Batman" in Gotham."

"Do I need to put a label on myself?"

"If you want to be helping people in the public domain, then they will want to categorise you. Usually the super hero has a symbol they are associated with, any ideas what you would use?"

Clara brought her hand up to her necklace.

"I think I want to use this."

"Your Kryptonian "S""

Clara smiled.

"It's not an "S", it's the symbol of the House of El, my family. On my world, it means 'hope'."

Lex smiled his understanding and laughed.

"Well, _here_ it's an "S". I know, how about "Super-"

They were interrupted by Lex's phone ringing, he'd been called to an emergency at the plant and the conversation hadn't been picked up again.

Clara had other problems. She still hadn't apologised to Jason for her kryptonite-induced comments, and he'd been a veritable Houdini in escaping her attempts to apologise. She was going to have to cheat a little to corner him. That Friday in late March Clara knocked on Jason Teague's office door, having assured herself with her hearing he was in, and snuck in the day before with superspeed to check his schedule.

"Come in!" he shouted, and opening the wooden door Clara saw Jason sitting typing at his computer, looking quite frustrated with it.

Clara waited, shifting from one foot to the other, and finally Jason looked up, and his face looked surprised before quickly going blank. Lex and he must have gone to the same school for Vulcan facial expressions.

"Miss Kent, how can I help you?"

Clara winced internally at the use of her formal name, before she'd been "Clara", there were definitely a lot of fences to mend.

"Hello Ja- Coach Jason. I wanted to talk to you, to _apologise _for what happened at the Winter Formal. I'd been spiked and said horrible things that I shouldn't have. It's none of my business if you and Lucas love each other, I'm the last person that should point fingers. I only knew because I overheard you talking about it, and I promise I won't tell anyone, it's no one else's business."

Jason's face cleared somewhat and he nodded stoically.

"Thank you Clara, that's very mature of you. It must have taken a lot of guts to come here and apologise."

Clara's heart beat quickly, he had used her first name again, surely that was a good sign?!

"I would have come sooner but I just couldn't seem to get hold of you."

Jason's ears turned red, but his face stayed the same. So he _had_ been avoiding her. Well, she couldn't really blame him.

"Yeah well, I had a lot of college scouts around."

"I understand, I'm glad we could get this fixed, I felt awful about what happened. Could you please let Lucas know I'm sorry?"

"Yeah sure, no harm no foul."

Clara practically happy danced inside.

"Thank you so much! Good luck with all the college scouts, I know that can be very competitive. Please let me know if I can do anything to help out, if you like I can write a few features on the tryouts?"

"Sure Clara, drop by with you camera to Friday's game and we can take a few shots for the paper and yearbook. We have scouts coming for the Cheerleaders then too."

"Thank you, it'll be great!"

Clara practically skipped out of the office, and only after she was gone did Jason wonder why she "couldn't point fingers". Was Clara dating?

His thoughts were interrupted by his phone ringing, without looking at the screen he automatically answered:

"Coach Teague"

"You shouldn't answer the phone like that dear, it's impolite, at least say hello to you mother first!"

"Mom, hey, is everything alright?"

"Of course darling, I'm just calling to confirm I am coming to your football game on Friday, so I can meet your new _friend._"

"That's great Mom, I'll save you a seat."

"Alright sweetheart, see you then."

Genevieve put down her phone and flicked her brown hair over her shoulder, it was time she met her son's new boyfriend, and that would give the perfect excuse to get close to someone else. She picked up a photograph that had been taken from afar, by her hired paparazzi, the Luthor boy with the raven haired farm girl. Luthor had something she wanted, she's tried having her men break in, now it was time for another tactic.

Blackmail.

**Author's Note: So sorry this has taken so long, I hope you liked it! **


	44. Chapter 44

**Disclaimer: I don't own Superman, Smallville or any of it!**

**Author's Note: The first thing I'd like to say is I am so sorry for making you all wait this long. I am now a full time head of department for my archive, which has additional responsibilities, we've has some family illnesses and my laptop is on its way out, and for the last few months it wouldn't let me put microsoft office onto it! I have not given up on Clex! Here's a short ficlet about some of the training Lex and Clara have been doing! Please bear with me as this story pans out, and I hope you enjoy this installment. Once again, thank you all for your support!**

Chapter 44

"Remind me again why this is a good idea again?" Clara said shakily, hands gripping the warm arms wrapped around her waste from behind with a gentle but vice like grip.

"Facing your fears is the best way to conquer them. It's not the height that scares you, it's the thought of falling. For everyone else that would be a real concern, but for you, there's no chance you could be injured. It's a purely psychological problem. So, we're going to take baby steps to get you comfortable with heights, and then, when you're ready, you're going to fall."

Clara quickly glanced to her right and caught a quick glimpse of Lex's calm face from his position as her anchor. He was firmly holding her as they stood on the platform, body pressed near flush to hers. Clara took a deep breath and looked down once again at the softly swaying corn stalks. She'd always been terrified of heights, even now, up here on the Kent water tower, she could feel vertigo sweeping through her, and her mind begin to spin like a tidal pool. The fear gripped her and she help onto Lex's arm tighter, trying to be mindful of his vulnerable human skin.

"But do I really need to _conquer_ it? I mean, I save people just fine from the ground!" laughed Clara nervously.

Clara felt Lex rest his mouth on her neck and smile as he kissed it, and a whole new feeling rushed through her. That wasn't playing fair! On the upside, at least she wasn't focusing wholly on the ground anymore. If there was something Luthor's knew well, it was misdirection.

"If there is something a hero, or _heroine_, shouldn't have is an achilles heel. You're already vulnerable to kryptonite, you don't want to add fear of heights to that list. Especially if you're going to keep waking up weightless. If you can float when dreaming, then chances are, you can fly while awake. Having vertigo with a flight ability is _never_ a good idea."

"_Yes_..but-" Clara began, but Lex went for the jugular.

"-You don't think _Batman's_ afraid of heights do you or that Green Arrow guy?"

Clara winced and turned around, she had the feeling Batman wasn't afraid of anything. But still, she also bet Batman and Green Arrow's girlfriends didn't make them stand on high ledges in their spare time.

Clara sighed again and looked back down with new determination. It has all started a week ago, when Clara had fallen asleep on the couch at the mansion after watching a movie. She'd been dreaming about birds, and had woken up several feet above the ground to find Lex looking at her in fascination. Ever the scientist, he hadn't even tried to wake her up! After falling in shock and wrecking Lex's mahogany coffee table, Clara had explained about her little levitation episodes, and also about her crippling fear of heights. If there's something Luthor's love, it's a challenge. Clara had taken to calling Lex "Yoda" in her head "Do, or do not, there is no try!".

"_Now_, I'm right here with you,. Breath in and out slowly, nothing bad is happening, you have to associate heights in your mind with something positive. Give it another 5 minutes and we'll go get some ice cream."

"Promise?"

"Lying to a girl who can bend steel with her bare hands isn't a good survival policy" said Lex innocently.

Clara laughed "Alright, any ice cream I want?"

"If you wanted, I'll buy you the entire store."

"I think two scoops of Phish Food will do for now."

"Yes Ma'am"

Clara breathed in the air, smelling the signs of the oncoming spring, feeling the arms of her boyfriend around her, and thought that, right here, right now, heights weren't so bad.

She guessed eventually, they'd get to the point when she'd either fall…or fly.

…..

**Author's Note: I hope you liked the fluff, and it gives you an idea of what Lex and Clara have been up to, training abounds! I hope my laptop holds so I can post a proper chapter in the next few weeks! Thanks for sticking with me!**

**Also, for all you Supernatural fans, I'm absolutely obsessed with a story by River Winters call "The Song Remains the Same" it is a piece of art about Castiel and an OC Winchester sister called Alex Winchester, it starts in Season 4 and is just so unbelievably well characterised and written, and has its own tumblr! I'd read it if you love Supernatural! **

**Voldivoice**


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